Marco Silva was always going to be a tough act to follow, considering the now-Benfica manager guided Fulham to promotion from the Championship and stabilised them as a Premier League club.
However, Alvaro Arbeloa’s first taste of English football as a manager has been a real baptism of fire thus far, with his side currently bottom of the Premier League table, having taken just two points from their opening six matches.
In fact, Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth are the only other top flight sides yet to get a win on the board this season, and the defeat against newly-promoted Ipswich Town at the weekend is likely to be particularly concerning.
Arebloa’s side conceded two late goals, which consigned them to a 2-1 loss at Portman Road, piling the pressure on Arbeloa, who was critical of the lack of cutting edge in front of goal in his post-match interview.
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That said, the Cottagers’ underlying numbers offer some encouragement, considering they should be in mid-table based on XG, and they managed to grind out points against Liverpool and Manchester United.
Position
Team
P
xG
xGA
xPts
1
Arsenal
6
10.8
4.7
13
2
Manchester City
6
11.8
8.2
11
3
Nottingham Forest
6
10.6
7.2
11
4
Brighton & Hove Albion
6
12.9
9.4
10
5
Liverpool
6
9.3
7.4
10
6
Manchester United
6
10.7
8.4
9
7
Brentford
6
11.0
8.6
9
8
Everton
6
9.0
8.3
9
9
AFC Bournemouth
6
8.1
8.0
9
10
Sunderland
6
10.5
10.1
8
11
Leeds United
6
8.3
8.8
8
12
Tottenham Hotspur
6
6.6
8.7
8
13
Ipswich Town
6
8.9
10.8
8
14
Fulham
6
9.6
10.3
8
15
Chelsea
6
8.4
10.2
7
16
Aston Villa
6
6.9
10.3
7
17
Hull City
6
6.6
9.1
6
18
Crystal Palace
6
8.7
12.8
6
19
Coventry City
5
4.9
8.6
4
20
Newcastle United
5
5.3
9.1
4
It is a results business though, and despite the former Real Madrid boss only being appointed during the summer, the west Londoners are now looking at potential replacements.
Fulham considering move for Thomas Frank
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Fulham have given Arbeloa two matches to save his job, given that they are set to take on newly-promoted Coventry City and Hull City, which should be ideal opportunities to get some points on the board.
The 43-year-old could be sacked if he doesn’t take four points from the next two games, and former Brentford manager Thomas Frank, who utilises a 4-2-3-1 formation, is being considered as a potential replacement, alongside ex-Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna.
Intermediaries have made contact to offer the Cottagers the chance to appoint Frank and McKenna, but they are yet to make a formal approach, with Arbeloa’s job safe for the time being.
Frank is very experienced in the Premier League, having taken charge of 178 matches in the competition during spells with Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur, and football writer Scott Saunders praised him for the “incredible” job he did at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Of course, the Dane struggled to make the step-up to Tottenham, and was sacked in February after less than eight months in charge, but he kept the Bees in the top flight throughout his time as manager, and retaining their Premier League status needs to be Fulham’s priority at present.
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