Claudio Ranieri’s appointment at Fulham came as a surprise to many. Although, Slavisa Jokanovic’s tenure at the London-based side was expected to end sooner or later, few had expected it to end with the appointment of the man who famously won the title with Leicester City in 2016.

And the Roman will certainly provide Fulham with a much needed bounce, as they currently look doomed at the bottom of the Premier League. The Cottagers have won just a single game so far this season and sit rock-bottom with just five points on the board. If there’s anything that they need, then its Ranieri’s ‘Dilly Ding, Dilly Dong’.

They have been a typical case of a team who thought that spending big could keep them up. But Jokanovic seemed to have too many options to choose from. He failed to get his first team right and while they played the same way as they during their time in the Championship, they switched around with formations and team.

It was their backline that suffered the most with the rotation. The likes of Denis Odoi, Alfie Mawson, Maxime Le Marchand and Callum Chambers have been rotated around and Fulham have struggled to find a proper defensive pairing. They have let in as many as 31 goals in the league, which is the worst for any team this season.

And that is one place where Ranieri will work on, considering how he sets up his teams defensively. At Nantes, his side conceded fewer goals that Lyon and Monaco last season and were third in the table for least goals conceded, having let in only 41 goals. This was a season after they had let in 54 goals in the previous season.

At Leicester during the title winning season, the Foxes let in 36 goals- only one more than Tottenham and Manchester United. And the defensive pairing of Robert Huth and Wes Morgan became a vital cog in the wheel for the men from King Power Stadium.

It is clear that Fulham have defenders who can hold their own in the Premier League, Ranieri will figure who to play and who not to. He would have watched Le Marchand play in France last season and he could well become a key part of the defense.

While Fulham were more about keeping possession and controlling the midfield, Ranieri’s style will be more direct and no-nonsense. With Aleksandr Mitrovic and Andre Schurrle having been important players for Fulham this season, they will be expected to be handed ever important roles up front.

Ranieri usually prefers the 4-4-2 formation with a target man and a willing runner up front, exactly the way Jamie Vardy and Leonardo Ulloa were used at Leicester. And the usage of hard-working wingers makes it tough to break people down. Ranieri’s sides are direct and they are very keen on playing crosses from deep and long-balls from the back.

Ryan Sessegnon is a hard-working winger who is originally a left-back, but he works hard on the flank. His work-rate will be crucial under Ranieri.

In the midfield, Jean Michel-Seri, who was dropped against Liverpool for tactical reasons, will become a very important part of Ranieri’s Fulham. A box to box midfielder, the former Nice man knows how to work hard in the heart of the park. He can conduct play from deep, move forward and drop in to defend the centre-halves.

It isn’t just tactically, but Ranieri does a lot of stuff off the pitch that makes him connect with the fans and the players. He is the most likeable man in press-conferences, shakes hands of every reporter before press-conference and also shared his birthday cake with them. It has made him a very charming man, who knows how is intelligent and open.

It establishes a connect with fans and makes him a character that fans just can’t hate.

With Fulham now heading into the business end of the season, they don’t have too easy fixtures coming up. But the game against Southampton at home will be key. With the Saints struggling in the 16th spot, Mark Hughes is on the edge the way Jokanovic was. They are just three points ahead of Fulham and a win could well hand them a big bounce. The bounce that they so badly need.