This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Comment’ series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand….

Fulham have had a really inconsistent start to the season, and would have liked to have found themselves higher in the division after the opening 15 matches of the campaign.

They have been very good going forward and have the ability to score goals against every team in the division, although defensively they have been made to pay.

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During the fixtures, the Cottagers have often dominated opposition sides when it comes to keeping possession of the football. They've out played them with their passing but critics have suggested that they're just passing for the sake of it.

On Saturday, Fulham were thrashed 3-0 at home to Hull City, in what was a rather shocking result for Scott Parker and his side. The worst thing about it was that it could have been a bigger scoreline had it not been for some good saves.

The Cottagers have to find a way of sorting out their defence, and that's because of how open they have been when they've lost the ball. One man who has been massively at fault in recent weeks is big money signing Alfie Mawson.

The centre-back signed in the summer after Fulham were promoted to the Premier League, but didn't have the best of seasons in the top-flight, and he's now struggling in the Championship.

Make no mistake, for a defender he's absolutely fantastic on the ball and at times can read the game brilliantly but recently he has not been good enough in terms of his positioning without the ball and his decision making on whether to back off or try to press the attacker.

His poor defending was made a mockery out of by Hull's front three, and despite playing every game for Fulham this season, it is potentially time for the 25-year-old to have a rest and regain the defensive basics back into his game.

That is so important in the Championship, and if you don't have that basic defending then you will struggle. Mawson has proven himself at this level before, and even in the Premier League with some fine performances for Swansea, but he has to be better if Parker's side are to have any hope of getting promotion back to the Premier League.