Fulham’s first league win under Álvaro Arbeloa is beginning to look less like a target and more like an urgent requirement. The Spaniard takes his side into Saturday’s home fixture with Hull City bottom of the Premier League, with two points from six matches and the mood around Craven Cottage growing notably less patient.
Arbeloa arrived on 8 July to replace Marco Silva, who left for Benfica, with Fulham hoping to build on more than another routine fight against the drop. Three months on, the former Real Madrid coach has won twice, but both victories came in the Carabao Cup. In the league, Fulham have drawn two and lost four.
The visit of newly promoted Hull is followed by another potentially defining afternoon away to Coventry on Saturday 24. With two promoted clubs next on the fixture list, Fulham have little room for another disappointing return.
Late collapses have proved costly
There is an argument, supported by the shape of several performances, that Fulham have played better than their league position suggests. Had matches finished after 75 minutes, they would sit tenth rather than last. Football, with its usual lack of sympathy for theoretical tables, has not stopped there.
Fulham have surrendered seven points in the closing stages, conceding after the 75th minute in four of their six league games. The damage has come in different forms:
- A 1-0 defeat against Sunderland.
- A 3-2 loss after Crystal Palace turned the match around.
- A 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
- A 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town, despite Fulham having led.
Those endings have placed increasing scrutiny on Arbeloa’s in-game decisions. Against Manchester United, Fulham moved from a winning position to a draw after Joachim Andersen was introduced and the side changed to a back three. At Ipswich, Fulham were 1-0 ahead in the 71st minute before five substitutions and a tactical reshuffle preceded the hosts’ comeback.
Some supporters have come to believe the manager is struggling to protect the advantages his own team creates. His earlier remark that he did not feel pressure because he had played for and coached “the best club in the world”, referring to Real Madrid, also went down badly with part of the Fulham support.
Arbeloa keeps focus on Hull
The manager has also been fined £25,000 after criticising the officials following the Manchester United match. Speculation over his position has intensified, along with reports that members of the squad are unhappy with his methods. Thomas Frank, formerly of Brentford and Tottenham, has been discussed as a possible successor.
Arbeloa has refused to be drawn into the noise around his future. “I am not paying attention to rumours,” he said. “My focus is on tomorrow’s match, the players and the team. That is what matters. It is not about me; it is about the club and the supporters.”
He remains convinced that improved displays must soon bring points. “It has been a normal week,” he said. “We have worked hard and prepared for a difficult game against a difficult opponent. It is another week for me.”
It may be another week, but it is plainly not an ordinary one. Hull and Coventry offer Fulham a chance to lift themselves from the foot of the table; failure to do so would make the questions around Arbeloa considerably harder to brush aside.
