Is Rodrigo Muniz the solution to Fulham’s problems up front after all?

Fulham finally had a goal scored by a striker as they found an equaliser against Newcastle.

That maintained their unbeaten streak and took it to four matches, the only side amongst the bottom 10 to be in such a position.

But the goal was not scored by who we might have expected: Gonzalo Garcia. 

Instead, it was put in by Rodrigo Muniz, who bagged his first Premier League goal in almost 15 months.

It has been a desperately difficult time for Muniz, as he revealed in the post-match interview, that he had lost his unborn child last season.

That tragedy, combined with injuries, had a very obvious effect on Muniz behind the scenes and unsurprisingly it led to negative results on the field for the Brazilian.

But the character of Muniz allowed him to bounce back with an important goal, ensuring that Fulham maintained their unbeaten run in the process.

It was a reminder that there are things bigger than football for these players and also that you do genuinely never know what is going on behind the scenes.

But it was also a reminder of what Muniz can bring.

Let’s not forget that three seasons ago, he went on a run of scoring and two seasons ago, he ended with 11 goals in 36 matches in all competitions.

And so it does raise the question: with Gonzalo Garcia struggling so much to put the ball in the back of the net for Fulham, is the solution to goals sitting on the bench every week?

Now, of course, Muniz is not the most prolific striker at the best of times, despite his impressive run in the 2023-24 season.

That season, the Brazilian came back from a knee injury and was prolific.

He scored all nine of his goals in the final 15 matches of the season, and from the start of February until the end of March, he bagged eight goals and an assist in eight matches.

Of course, scoring one goal to end a 15-month dry spell is not necessarily going to lead to a massive goalscoring spell.

But, with Garcia now going nine Premier League matches without a goal, it is surely time to give Muniz the chance.

He has proven in the past that he can be a handful in the Premier League and so far this season, Fulham have not, on the whole, struggled to create chances.

If Muniz is going to get service, it may only take hitting the back of the net once more for him to regain his confidence and potentially return to the player he was two seasons ago.

Will Arbeloa move away from his tried-and-tested former Real Madrid player? Who knows, but there is certainly enough evidence to suggest that he should.