Ranieri's key duties at Fulham

Given the fact that Fulham currently sit rock bottom oft the Premier League, Claudio Ranieri has a tough task ahead if he is to rescue their top flight status. 

Here, we take a look at the three key issues the Italian will have to address in order to resurrect the 'Cottagers' fortunes:

Leaky rearguard

Fulham have conceded 31 goals from their first 12 games back in the Premier League; only Barnsley conceded more by this stage during the 1997-98 season. At the current rate, Fulham are on course to concede 99 goals by the end of the season, and if this is not rectified quickly, it will surely prove the final nail in their coffin. Of course, injuries to key players have not helped, with the side yet to have an established centre half pairing this season. However perhaps more to blame for Fulham's shocking record was former boss Jokanovic's open approach. Therefore, it is vital that before Ranieri makes his team look good on the eye, he has to make them hard to beat.

Inconsistent team selection

Having previously been granted the nickname 'Tinkerman' for his time at Chelsea, Ranieri would maybe not be the first man to come to mind when one utters the word 'consistency'. However he somewhat put the label to rest during Leicester City's historic title winning campaign in 2016- seven players started at least 35 of the 38 league games for the 'Foxes' as they landed a shock Premier League title win. Fulham's board will hope that the Italian brings this trait to his team selections when he takes over with immediate effect this week.

Goal-shy attack

After a strong start to the campaign, spearhead Aleksandar Mitrovic has somewhat lost his way in front of goal. The Serbian has not scored since the end of September; yet the issue with Fulham's offensive prospects do not solely lie with Mitrovic. The forward remains a handful for opposing defenders, but in order to fully utilise him, a more direct approach is required. The slick passing style of Slavisa Jokanovic hardly brought the best out of the Fulham front line, particularly against the elite level defenders of the Premier League. Thus, Claudio Ranieri will have to adopt a tactical style that suits the talents of the likes of Mitrovic, Tom Cairney, and Andre Schurrle if he is to rescue the club from the drop.