At the start of their season, way back in July, few would have expected that Fulham would be England’s most successful team in Europe in 2009/10. However, under the auspices of Roy Hodgson the Cottagers have completed a gruelling 18-match marathon to reach Wednesday’s Europa League final.
Though some of their matches have been the most exciting in England this season, coming from behind to beat both Juventus and Hamburg in the last two rounds, Fulham have actually been one of the least attacking sides in the Europa League this season:
Europa League 2009/10: Fewest Shots Per Game
| Rank | Team | Games Played | Total Shots | Shots Per Game |
| 1 | Unirea Urziceni | 2 | 12 | 6.00 |
| 2 | Levski Sofia | 6 | 42 | 7.00 |
| 3 | Fulham | 14 | 108 | 7.71 |
| 4 | Everton | 8 | 62 | 7.75 |
| 5 | FC Twente | 8 | 62 | 7.75 |
| 6 | Toulouse | 6 | 47 | 7.83 |
Only two sides, Unirea and Levski Sofia, have averaged fewer shots per game in the Europa League this season. However, what the Cottagers have lacked in quantity, they have more than made up for in quality of efforts, managing the third-highest shot conversion rate in 2009/10:
Europa League 2009/10: Highest Goals To Shots Ratio
| Rank | Team | Games Played | Goals To Shots Ratio |
| 1 | Marseille | 4 | 24.24% |
| 2 | RSC Anderlecht | 10 | 21.35% |
| 3 | Galatasaray | 8 | 20.59% |
| 4 | Liverpool | 8 | 19.44% |
| 5 | Fulham | 14 | 19.44% |
| 6 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 8 | 19.40% |
Fulham have had the fifth-highest goals-to-shots ratio in the Europa League this season, 19.44%, well above the competition average of 12.98%, and are almost twice as effective in front of goal as Wednesday’s opponents Atletico, who have a ratio of 10.23%.
If Roy Hodgson’s men have not been the most attacking team in Europe this season, they have more than made it up with their defensive displays. The Cottagers have made over 100 more clearances (442) than any other Europa League side this season, have blocked the most shots (53), have made the most interceptions (285) and have made the second-most tackles (295).
Though they have admittedly played more games than most teams in the competition, this does perhaps show that Roy Hodgson has taught his players how to break up opposition attacks effectively, especially given that they have found themselves on occasions under more pressure than some other sides.
