My 5 Keys to Victory for Fulham against Tottenham

The match tomorrow is the FA Cup Quarterfinals. Fulham host Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage. The match takes place at 5:20 PM UK Time and 12:20 PM EST. In the United States the game will be shown on taped delay on Fox Soccer Channel at 5PM EST. If Fulham can win this match they will go on to Wembley for the Semifinals. For me the season has already been a success. A victory tomorrow would just take the season to the "next level." Below are my 5 keys to victory for Fulham against Tottenham.

1. It is imperative that Fulham score the first goal. This is usually a key for every match, but I think tomorrow it is even more important. Last year Fulham got blown out at Craven Cottage against Manchester United 4 - 0. This was also the quarterfinals for the tournament. Fulham need to show Tottenham very early that they are "in it to win it." I almost felt last year the team was just happy to be there. An early goal will set the tone for the match and will put all of the momentum with Fulham. I would love to see an early strike by Bobby Zamora.

2. Nicky Shorey just needs to continue to play solid defense. Paul Konchesky is almost ready to return. He played a great deal in the last reserves match. I think it is important that Shorey plays. I think he has proved his worth on defense. With the likes of Defoe, Crouch, and Pavlyuchenko at Tottenham's disposal Shorey will be tested. I think there will be a time soon for Konchesky to return to the lineup. I am hoping for continuity and fitness reasons that Shorey plays.

3. Roman Pavlyuchenko and the rest of the strikers need to be contained. Whether he starts or comes off of the bench he has been hot lately scoring goals. In all competitions this year he has scored 10 goals. However, his form lately has been very good. Fulham's defense against Tottenham at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day did a great job of neutralizing Crouch and Keane. They will be asked tomorrow to step it up once again and contain Pavlyuchecko and his teammates.

4. Fulham need to shoot often at Heurehlo Gomes. In the Boxing Day match he was fantastic. If it wasn't for Gomes, Fulham could have won the match. Goalkeepers can be a position that can be affected by confidence. By shooting often at Gomes the idea is to hopefully rattle him early. This can also work against Fulham as it might build his confidence. I think it is worth it though as he has had confidence issues before. If you put him under constant pressure I think we could breakthrough. Bobby Zamora should shoot often whenever he has an opening.

5. Fulham need to stop Luka Modric. Number 5 is actually I think the key to the entire match. I have to give credit to Dan at Hammyend.com for his great article on "How to beat Spurs" . He beat me to the punch on the #1 key to the match. Dan at Hammyend.com stated "What Fulham can’t afford is to allow Modric and company to dictate play forcing Danny Murphy backwards." The Croatian born player has the ability to dictate the pace of the game and get the ball up to the strikers. Please check out Dan's article. It is a great breakdown to the game. There are comments to his article. You will see that the Tottenham fans are in agreement of Dan's breakdown and key to beating Spurs.



Tomorrow is a wonderful chance for Fulham to make this season even a bigger success. Let's hope Fulham fans leave Craven Cottage tomorrow very happy.