Marco Silva on Arsenal's set-pieces, Alex Iwobi's performance, and the 'emotional' Emile Smith-Rowe: A Fulham boss exclusive

Fulham manager Marco Silva sits down for an exclusive interview with Sky Sports to reveal his tactics for handling Arsenal's set-pieces, praise Alex Iwobi's impressive form, and reflect on Emile Smith Rowe's sentimental return to face his former team.

With Fulham just three points off the European places, has your start surprised you?

"Not surprised me. I'm not saying that at the beginning of the season I expected to be there, but the way we have been playing cannot be surprising for me, for our players and for everybody that is following the Premier League really closely.

"I have to be fair with our players, we cannot be surprised because performance-wise we have been playing really, really well. Most of the games we have been one of the best teams on the pitch and deserve the points we took, or in some moments even more.

"Probably in the beginning of the season, after losing so many players and so many changes again in our football club, in terms of the squad, it was more difficult to expect such a quick and strong start from ourselves, but the reality is that we signed some players that settled really well and they helped the others that were here to start the season well, like we have been doing."

What do you make of your Sunday's opponents Arsenal?

"It's a really difficult top side. Title contenders, in my opinion. They have been there around the last two seasons. Great job from Mikel (Arteta). A team with a great collective idea, great individual quality as well and they are really a solid team too.

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"They are physical from (Martin) Odegaard to the top of the pitch. It's not easy for them to give the chance for the opposition to create a lot of chances during the game, but we are going to be ready. It's not the best week for us to prepare because it's going to be almost no time to prepare the game. Just assess the players, recover them and go to the match. Less time to prepare the game than them.

"In terms of freshness, probably they are going to be in a better place than ourselves. They played on Wednesday [Arsenal beat Man Utd 2-0 at home]. We played on Thursday [Fulham beat Brighton 3-1 at home]. Difference of 24 hours, but it's a big difference when you have such a short period of time. But it is what it is. It's not going to be an excuse for us. We have to go to the game aiming that we can fight for the three points like we did last year against them twice."

How will you approach Arsenal's set-pieces?

"We have our way to defend set pieces. We know what we are talking about. When a team like Arsenal, they have been so, so strong. Of course, everyone noticed they have been deciding a lot of games in that moment as well. We know what we are going to face. Not just the players, not just the trust around the Arsenal team, around their fans about the offensive set pieces, because it's really important to trust the will and desire that we go for that moment. They're great takers as well.

"But even to give the credit for our players, last season we played twice against Arsenal. We dealt really well with that moment of the game. Even we scored twice from set pieces against Arsenal last season and we didn't concede. You have to repeat the same type of thing. We have to be focused, confident in ourselves, the way we are going to set up ourselves and be strong in that moment. Not just defensively, but offensively as well."

How delighted are you with Alex Iwobi's form this season?

"What an incredible season it's been for him. To be honest, it doesn't surprise me. We felt as a staff, Alex had the same feeling for sure and his team-mates too. The way he started the season, the pre-season matches, the way the first Premier League matches, you start to feel, 'Ok, he's going to be even better than the season before'. We are going to have Alex with all the talent that he has inside himself, the potential that he has inside himself, he's going to put everything outside this season.

"Firstly, he's a really important player for me because he's really versatile. He can play in many different positions. I can move him in one football match without making many changes. Last night [against Brighton] was a good example, he played in three different positions. He's adding something to his game and he's improving in the attack. The decisions in terms of assists and goals, he's adding really in a very good way for his game and we are delighted for it."

What have you made of Emile Smith Rowe's start to life at Fulham?

"He's a really important player for us. We are delighted to have the chance to sign him. We knew what we were going to sign - a talented player that wasn't playing football in the last two seasons. We know that he's going to have, in some moments, a little bit down in terms of consistency, but he needs to play more and more and to train more and more.

"It's important for him to not stop, to train every single day and to be able to keep the intensity and the energy that the Premier League demands from yourself and in that position even more. And he has to be able to respond to it. And I'm really pleased to have him with us.

"I think he's delivering what we wanted from him. And I'm going to see more consistency in the future. Yes, it's going to be my goal to push him forward and it's going to be his goal to be more consistent performance-wise throughout the 90 minutes of the game."

Do you think there will be extra motivation for Smith Rowe and Iwobi on Sunday as they face their former club?

"I don't know, really. I've been with Alex already a long time at Everton and now it's the second season with me at Fulham. Emile is going to be the first time that he's going to face his former club.

"It's probably going to be an emotional game for Emile. I'm not talking about extra motivation or not, but emotional for sure it's going to be for Emile and it is what it is. He's going to face a club that he loves for sure, but now he's in love with Fulham too and he's going to fight and he's going to do his maximum for us to win the game."

Will you be looking to strengthen in the upcoming January transfer window?

"We have to be really careful to talk about that, firstly, because this group of players deserve all the credit and they deserve to be talked about them, and probably not about new players that come in.

"That is the first thing in terms of the togetherness, the friendship, the quality of the commitment from them they have been incredible.

"Second, is about the quality of the players because for us to add someone they have to add extra quality because just to have a new face - I prefer I don't have if they don't add some extra for our club and that extra quality costs money and let's see if you are going to have the budget for it."