Jokanovic warns Fulham’s slow starts must end

Slavisa Jokanovic says Fulham must quickly get out of the habit of slow starts if they are to improve this season.

As at Manchester City last week, the Whites were chasing the game from very early on against Watford at Craven Cottage, where Andre Gray scored after less than two minutes.

It set the tone for a lacklustre first half from his side, who did well to recover to secure a point with a much-improved second-half display.

“We must avoid this kind of situation,” said the Fulham boss. “All the action before the goal, they [Watford] were more strong, more solid. We must be more focused from the beginning to the end in matches.

“We weren’t working good enough in the first 45 minutes. We gave them the chance to score after one minute and a half, similar to the last game we played against Man City.

“Fortunately, they didn’t score more goals in the first 45 minutes. The team showed great attitude and character in the second half. We pushed and in the end we scored the goal and changed the story.

“But this way we started the game, with this sloppy start, was really, really expensive.”