In west London, Fulham’s difficult opening to the season has placed Álvaro Arbeloa under increasing pressure. The club are bottom of the Premier League after taking two points from their first six matches, and the margins at Craven Cottage have begun to feel unforgiving.
The news from the club
Fulham believe their performances have merited more than the results suggest, with late passages of games proving particularly costly. There is a feeling that five or six additional points could have been within reach without those collapses, but the league table has nonetheless intensified scrutiny of Arbeloa.
Thomas Frank has emerged as the leading name in discussion around a possible replacement. Arbeloa, formerly of Real Madrid, has not yet lost the backing of everyone at the club, however. Fulham consider that several recent arrivals could reach their best level under him, including Gonzalo, Palacios and Manuel Ángel.
The Football Association has added another complication by imposing a €30,000 fine on Arbeloa. The punishment follows remarks he made after a match in which he criticised the officials, saying Manchester United would not be allowed to lose there.
The FA also issued a warning intended to prevent similar incidents in future. Its disciplinary decision found Arbeloa’s comments inappropriate and serious enough to require a financial penalty, judging that they had damaged the game. It said a warning alone would not have properly reflected the gravity of his conduct.
No touchline ban or other sporting sanction was imposed. The FA noted that this was Arbeloa’s first offence and concluded that there were insufficient grounds for a sporting punishment, while also dismissing Fulham’s submissions in response to the case.
Two promoted sides on the horizon
Arbeloa has been given the upcoming meetings with promoted Hull City and Coventry City to alter Fulham’s direction. They are matches with obvious importance: an opportunity to turn encouraging spells into points, and to ease the uncertainty surrounding the man in the dugout.
