“The first day I arrived here, the mood and everything at the club was really down, I have to be honest,” says Marco Silva about his first day in control of Fulham again in July 2021.

The membership had simply been relegated from the Premier League having gained solely 5 league video games all season below Scott Parker’s stewardship and everybody at Craven Cottage wanted a elevate.

Fast ahead two years and never solely did Silva convey Fulham straight again up after a goal-laden Championship title win, however he additionally managed to information them to tenth place on their return to the Premier League, their first top-half end since 2012.

The 52 factors Fulham amassed final season has solely ever been bettered as soon as of their historical past, after they managed 53 factors in 2008/09.

“It was a process and the main thing was the players understood what we wanted, they bought into the idea and it was magnificent the way we did it the first season, and the second one was a great one for us,” he defined.

“Again, we changed so many things on the pitch, but off the pitch as well, the way we are trying to always improve the club as more professional as you can.

“It has been nice, however the enterprise is just not completed but, there a variety of issues nonetheless to combat for, now we have to maintain enhancing, to demand from ourselves, I’m the primary one to demand from everybody round me and the gamers as nicely.

“We are a powerful group of gamers, now we have core round, however we wish extra, we wish to preserve enhancing and the primary factor for us is to get extra constant in all the things that we’re doing as a result of now we have had some implausible spells, others not so good.

“And we are trying to look for more consistency and the concentration and focus is also important in all the moments of the season because some moments, we play so, so well we match teams, but the little details are making the difference.”

Improving on such a powerful marketing campaign was by no means going to be straightforward, particularly when newly promoted sides typically discover it more durable of their second season again within the Premier League.

However, while you additionally lose your prime scorer in 4 of the earlier 5 campaigns, as Silva did when Aleksandar Mitrovic left for the riches on provide at Saudi Pro League membership Al Hilal, then issues turn out to be even more durable, much more so while you can not substitute the striker with the transfer happening too late in the summertime window.

“We are going to try to improve, even if you lost an important player for us, and a player who has scored so many goals that helped the teams in many ways,” Silva mentioned.

“He was a player who was not in his best moment when we arrived and we made him so important for us, we took the best from him as well.

“But OK, soccer is like that, we misplaced him and the membership bought him for a really, superb quantity. When you promote a participant like him, you aren’t going to be stronger, everybody has to grasp that, what we did was stick collectively, and we tried to enhance the three strikers in our squad.

“And it is my job to do it. About the season, if it is possible to be better or not, it is up to us to work hard and in the end we are going to see. But our aim is to try to do the things better, to improve and get the club in a better position if we can.”

At the midway level of the league season, Fulham sit thirteenth within the desk, 4 factors adrift of Chelsea in tenth, however having misplaced their final three top-flight video games with out scoring forward of Sunday’s dwelling recreation with Arsenal, reside on Sky Sports.

That dropping run, although, got here on the again of successive 5-0 romps on the Cottage, so why such a stark distinction in outcomes?

“The results have changed, different games, different stories,” Silva defined. “Our aims and approach to the games did not change. Three different games, the Newcastle one we played 75 minutes with 10 men, which is always really difficult.

“And towards Burnley within the first half with the possibilities we created, it was a recreation for us to attain objectives and we had sufficient probabilities to attain multiple and now we have not scored. And we misplaced the sport as a result of within the second half we made some errors.

“I have to say that the last game, we did not play to the standard we should, and of course in the next one, we want to improve from the last game because the Bournemouth game was not good enough.”

One apparent distinction between these successful and dropping runs was the absence in two of their defeats of the injured Willian and the suspended Raul Jimenez, despatched off after simply 22 minutes of their 3-0 loss at Newcastle United.

But Silva will certainly welcome again the Mexico striker from suspension on Sunday and is hopeful the Brazil ahead may even be match to function.

“It is not a coincidence that they missed those games, but we cannot go in the simple direction or excuse that they did not play, so the team did not score,” he mentioned. “I do not like this, you cannot put your faith in just two players. But I have to say we missed both.”

As for the problem of taking over an Arsenal aspect that’s as soon as once more difficult for the title, Silva is expectant, but in addition cautious after the north London staff’s shock dwelling loss to West Ham United on Thursday night time.

“We know what we are going to face, what they are capable to do and things that we can exploit,” he mentioned.

“If you ask me, it is going to be harder because they will want to bounce back, top, top sides do not normally have two results in a row that are not positive, so probably because of that it is going to be harder because they’ll want to bounce back.

“But on the identical time, we wish to bounce again and get again to successful methods once more, we wish this, it’s our purpose and purpose.”

One important reference point for him and his players is August’s 2-2 draw at the Emirates, when the visitors, down to 10 men after Calvin Bassey’s red card, came back to score a 97th-minute equaliser through Joao Palhinha, the only time until West Ham’s win that a team had taken points from Arsenal at home in the league this season.

“We showed last August playing against them away from home in difficult circumstances, we played 25 minutes [sic] with 10 men,” he mentioned. “And even so we were able to match them, to go, to play, losing 2-1 then equalising at the end. And we did it really well and the players showed the desire and quality to achieve it at the Emirates in difficult circumstances.

“We wish to do the identical and it’s going to be an important feeling to play the final recreation of the 12 months at Cottage below the lights towards among the best sides within the nation, a staff that earlier than final [Thursday] night time everybody was saying was in one of the best type on this competitors.

“But it will be good to share the last day of the year with our fans at the Cottage after a great, great year for this football club.”

Victory on Sunday would cap off a memorable 12 months for Silva, who confirmed his dedication to Fulham final summer time when rejecting a reportedly two-year €40m (£34.7m) deal to handle Saudi Arabian membership Al Ahli, earlier than in October agreeing a brand new contract to remain in west London till 2026.

In that point the formidable Portuguese, 46, not solely needs to ascertain Fulham as a Premier League common, as they had been between 2001-14, but in addition to win a primary home trophy, one thing that might even occur as quickly as this season with the membership going through Liverpool in subsequent month’s Carabao Cup semi-finals.

“The reality will not take ambition from me, after if it is going to be possible to reach a final, to fight for a trophy, to reach certain positions in the table, we will see at the end,” mentioned Silva.

“But in terms of ambition, it is not going to ever take from myself and from my players and after you have to prove inside the pitch if you are able to do it or not. That is the team.

“What are the aims when I renewed my contract for the next three years? The first thing is for everyone to recognise this club as a Premier League club and for me to be a Premier League club means a lot.

“It is not only to stay within the Premier League, it’s the method you do it, the way in which you’re enhancing, the way in which everybody can see you’ve gotten a venture behind, that is actually vital for me and what I ask and demand from everyone round me not simply to placed on paper, however to place into motion.

“And all the other things after are going to be a consequence of the way we prepare ourselves, the way we work behind the scenes to be stronger after on the pitch and on the matchday.”

Watch Fulham vs Arsenal reside on Super Sunday from 1pm on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event; kick-off 2pm