Source: Team_Talk
Schwarzer: Hard work ahead for Fulham
Mark Schwarzer has warned his team-mates that they will have to work hard to pass the all important 40-point barrier with a win over Wigan.[LNB] Fulham's 2-1 win over Wolfsburg in midweek was the latest in an extraordinary series of European results which has put the Cottagers within touching distance of the semi-finals of the Europa League.[LNB]While recent wins over Shakhtar Donetsk and European heavyweights Juventus represent a remarkable achievement for the small west London club, their domestic form has taken a worrying slump of late.[LNB]The Cottagers are 12th in the Premier League on 38 points after last week's defeat against Hull - their third loss in a row.[LNB]They are without a league win since February and take on a Wigan side just four points outside the relegation zone.[LNB]Schwarzer believes Roberto Martinez's will provide a stern test at Craven Cottage tomorrow as Roy Hodgson's men look to guarantee their top flight status with a win.[LNB]"Wigan will be very tough for us," said Schwarzer.[LNB]"They're in the mix down there so they need the points to get over that infamous 40 point mark and we still need a couple of points to do that as well so it's a big game for us."[LNB]Schwarzer believes that Fulham have been unlucky not to take anything from their last three league games, and insists his side are not getting carried away with dreams of European glory.[LNB]"I don't think our performances have dropped since Juventus," said the 37-year-old, who reached the UEFA Cup final with Middlesbrough in 2006.[LNB]"The results have dropped and we have had drops in concentration in parts of games but generally overall we are pleased with how we have been playing.[LNB]"We played well against the German champions on Thursday but we'll take each round as it comes now and for us and Sunday is the priority.[LNB]"We can't think about the second leg until we have Wigan out of the way."[LNB]Fulham's starting XI will be scrutinised by the hierarchy at West Ham after they lodged a complaint with the Premier League yesterday about Hodgson fielding a supposedly weakened side against Hull.[LNB]They argue that Fulham's squad rotation policy has given their rivals an unfair advantage in the race to avoid the drop after the Tigers beat Fulham to move level on points with the Hammers.[LNB]With one eye on Thursday's second leg, Hodgson remains adamant that he will rest players for Sunday's game and he has found an ally in Wigan boss Roberto Martinez, who described the move as "foolish" on Thursday.[LNB]Martinez was a surprise candidate to succeed Steve Bruce as manager at the DW Stadium and the Latics looked among the favourites for relegation after a poor start to the season.[LNB]The Spaniard had been criticised for bringing in a creative mentality at the north-west side, but Fulham midfielder Simon Davies is an admirer of Wigan's style.[LNB]"Wigan changed their manager in the summer and now their style is more about getting the ball down, so it will be a different proposition to what Wigan used to be about," said the Welshman.
