Scott Parker has admitted Fulham are under pressure to score goals ahead of their visit to Everton on Sunday.
Former Charlton Athletic and Chelsea midfielder Parker also revealed his admiration for the 'dignified' Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the two meeting in the dugout this weekend with Fulham eight points adrift in the relegation zone.
The Cottagers have scored three goals in their last seven matches in all competitions and Parker, who watched his side create 20 attempts on goal in the deadlock with West Ham United last week, has told his team to be 'more clinical' at Goodison Park.
The 40-year-old said: “The psychological element is you often find strikers are under the most pressure. And you often find that strikers or forward players are the ones who have real dips in form because there’s that psychological element.
“For me, in my position, I need to keep a real level on it, and to be able to do that, I often find that you have to have some real basics to fall back on.
“When you’re going through a little bit of a hard time in front of goal, you need some real core fundamental basics to fall back on.
“And that’s my point to the team now, and it’s not just the forward players and the midfield players, even the defenders. Set-plays as well; we need to be more clinical, we need to chip in here with some set-play goals, which we’ve not managed to do a lot of.
“But to be able to do that, you need to strip it all back and get back to basics, and hold your game on some real core fundamentals. Me sitting here trying to help the players, I need to weigh up both [psychological and technical factors] really.
“We’re creating chances, now we need to work out where we can actually convert them.”
Ancelotti guided Everton into the FA Cup quarter-final in midweek while victory would see his side continue their challenge for Champions League football next season.
Parker said of the Italian: “He is a manager who I’ve got nothing but admiration for.
“He’s had an incredible career, seems a real classy man, who goes about his business in a real classy and dignified way, very professional.
“I don’t know him personally but that’s the impression I get. And of course, to win what he’s won over the course of his career speaks volumes, so he’s someone I look to and admire.”
