Jack Kelly, freelance Fulham journalist: Concentration lapses have costed Cottagers | OneFootball

Fulham should have more points on the board from their opening nine Premier League games ahead of Monday night's west London derby against Brentford, explains Jack Kelly, freelance Fulham journalist.

The Cottagers go into the clash at Craven Cottage with a tally of 12 points following three wins, three draws and three losses.

Fulham are sat comfortably in mid-table ahead of Monday’s game. What have you made of what you’ve seen so far?

It has been positive, and I think they should probably have more points than they do. Look at the four points they have chucked away in added time against West Ham and Everton.

They also led against Aston Villa and Man City and, arguably, should have got more points from those games as well; they missed a penalty against Villa and had so many chances to score against City.

I do genuinely think Fulham, realistically, could still have been unbeaten at this point as they could have quite easily got something from the games they lost, but obviously that is not the case.

It has been a really good start to the season, but the good work Marco Silva has been doing has been undermined by late lapses in concentration and that is disappointing, but there is definitely positive energy around the club right now.

Fulham have not got the worst defensive record by any means, but they do only have one Premier League clean sheet so far. Is that a source of frustration?

They have given away some cheap goals this season, for sure, and there have been some great goals scored against them as well; Man City definitely scored some very good goals in that game.

Defensively, I actually think they have been outstanding. They do not give up many chances in games, but they have played City and Villa who are two of the best teams in the Premier League right now.

Against other teams like Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Newcastle, they were not giving up too many chances and looked defensively sound, which is largely due to Joachim Andersen coming in from Crystal Palace.

Fulham have won one of the last five west London derbies. It is always a big game for both clubs, but how important do you think the result will be for Fulham given that recent record?

It is important Fulham get back to winning ways against Brentford on Monday, but it’s going to be a very tough game. Brentford are high scoring, but have also conceded a fair few, which has been quite extraordinary.

They have also had four away games this season against top six clubs and will be looking to pick up their first away win of the season. There is a lot riding on the game and Fulham’s record against Brentford, especially at Craven Cottage, has been poor of late and the 3-0 at the start of last season was a bit of a disaster.

The fans are feeling like they are due a win and I think there is definitely a team to be got at on Monday, given how many Brentford have conceded of late. Fulham are creating a lot of chances, they are just not putting them away at the moment.

Which player should Brentford fans be keeping an eye out for?

I’m going to give it to Emile Smith Rowe, just because he is capable of that moment of magic. We saw it against Everton, when he dropped a shoulder and beat two men before playing a pass through to Alex Iwobi and they went on to score.

I would say Adama Traoré, too, but there are claims he might not even start and that Reiss Nelson could come in. If he does play, Brentford will know about his pace, his power, getting in behind and creating chances down the right.

What should Brentford expect in terms of shape and style?

It will be a possession-based 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. They will be missing Saša Lukić, so Sander Berge will probably sit, with Smith Rowe floating as the No 8 and Andreas Pereira as the No 10. It is a pretty standard setup, with Iwobi on one side and either Traoré or Nelson on the other and then Raúl Jiménez up front.

It will be a back four of Kenny Tete, Anderson, Calvin Bassey and Antonee Robinson, with Bernd Leno in goal. It is quite a solid team, with no real need to change it at the moment unless there are injuries or suspensions.

Fulham’s home form has been very good this season - they have only lost one game - so Brentford should expect a fast start. I know Brentford are known for their fast starts this season, but Fulham have started games very well in the Premier League, scoring early against Newcastle and Aston Villa.

What’s your score prediction?

It is going to be rocking on Monday and I am going to back Fulham to win 2-1. Brentford will score and cause them some problems, while Fábio Carvalho coming back will add some sort of narrative. It’s not going to be easy whatsoever.