A 3-2 Carabao Cup win at West Ham on Tuesday night bought Arbeloa some breathing space, but it did not shift the mood around Craven Cottage. The Spaniard is the bookmakers’ favourite to lose his job first among Premier League managers after Fulham lost their opening three league matches and rescued a single point from a goalless draw at Anfield.
Fulham sit 18th in the table with one point from four matches. Only newly promoted Coventry have a worse record.
Three defeats before Anfield
Arbeloa was appointed on 7 July on a three-year deal, replacing Marco Silva after the Portuguese coach left for Benfica. The 43-year-old former Spain full-back arrived from Real Madrid, where he served as head coach between January and May 2026 before being replaced by José Mourinho.
The league opening has been brutal. Chelsea won 3-2 in the west London derby, Sunderland took the points 1-0 at the Stadium of Light, and Crystal Palace came from 2-1 down to win 3-2 at Craven Cottage. The Palace defeat, in which Fulham twice held the lead, has been the flashpoint of a start that has left senior players reportedly unconvinced by the intensity required and the tactical tweaks demanded in a short space of time.
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Arbeloa has publicly pinned the run on defensive transition and finishing, not effort.
“We are playing in a way that we create enough chances to win games, [but] we are not winning games,” he told reporters before the Liverpool trip.
“When we lose the ball, we need to be more compact and choose better when we are going to press high.”
A cup night that changed the temperature
Fulham travelled to the London Stadium on Tuesday night knowing the mood could tip either way. Arbeloa had framed the third-round tie in existential terms.
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“If we don’t win the game, we are out of the competition. So, we know that it’s a final for us,” he said on the eve of the match.
The 3-2 win keeps Fulham in the Carabao Cup and gives Arbeloa a first victory in charge, but it does not change the league position that has driven the sack-race odds. Bookmakers rank him ahead of Frank Lampard at Coventry, Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham and Michael Carrick at Manchester United on their lists of managers most at risk.
Manchester United on Sunday
The next test is the one everyone at Craven Cottage is already looking at. Fulham host Manchester United on Sunday 20 September, kick-off 4.30pm local time. Arbeloa has spoken warmly of the ownership he owes his job to.
“I feel a great sense of responsibility and I’m deeply grateful to Mr Khan and Tony Khan for the trust they have placed in me,” he said on his appointment.
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Manchester United’s visit to Craven Cottage kicks off at 4.30pm on Sunday 20 September.
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