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How Alvaro Arbeloa sparked Fulham revival to save his job
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- How Alvaro Arbeloa sparked Fulham revival to save his job
(Getty)
When Alvaro Arbeloa was reminded of Fulham 's torrid record at Villa Park, a little smile broke out across his face.
He knew his team, in drawing 1-1 with Unai Emery's side , had shown further evidence they are on the right track and turning around a season that had started woefully.
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Arbeloa was not a universally popular appointment at Craven Cottage and this time last month was a pretty good bet to become the first Premier League manager sacked this season.
The narrative has changed now. As one fan said, "from being one game from the sack to earning seven points from three games is a brilliant return".
How much credit Arbeloa personally deserves for Fulham's turnaround is up for debate, but that moment when the ex-Real Madrid manager imminently faced the chop never materialised.
Last month, when Fulham had lost to strugglers Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Ipswich, and still had zero league wins, the club's owner Shahid Khan appeared to come out in support of Arbeloa ahead of the home game against Hull.
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"We have been in every match, missing only the opportunities we've had to complete the task," Khan said. "I believe those opportunities will soon be seized - especially if we have our supporters in full voice today and beyond."
Happier camp: Fulham celebrate their fortunate equaliser against Aston Villa (Getty)
Fulham were 1-0 winners over Hull in a game where plenty of fans believed they were deserving of a more emphatic scoreline to match their dominance.
Another clean sheet followed - in a 1-0 win at Coventry - before that draw against a Villa team who were then second only to holders Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League table.
"We have proved that we can compete with anyone," said Arbeloa.
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And Fulham had needed to get to that point under the Spaniard, not only because Premier League survival will depend on it but also because that was precisely what Marco Silva's team did so well across four seasons in the top-flight.
A little sprinkling of luck is always needed when rectifying a bad situation, and Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki dropping a corner over the goal line did feel like the fortunate moment in question at a club where the players, manager and backroom staff had all been feeling hopelessly down on their luck.
Arbeloa is known to still be annoyed by Fulham's wastefulness in front of goal; they are the third-biggest underperformers in the league for xG. Missed chances has been the one binding thread throughout his time in charge.
We have proved that we can compete with anyone
Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa
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New striker Gonzalo Garcia has had his fair share of woes in that area and patience is beginning to wear thin from a fanbase not known for knee-jerk reactions.
When the defeats were piling up, Arbeloa reminding people of his stature within the game was an ugly look. Ex-Real Madrid manager or not, he needed to deliver deeds, not words. Fulham have begun to.
Where he deserves credit is in adapting his system. "At least he is prepared to change his ideology," Fulham's record goalscorer Gordon Davies tells Standard Sport , "because we've had managers in the past who are only prepared to play Plan A."
The high-intensity pressing Arbeloa insisted upon in those opening games was wholly at odds with how Silva's Fulham had played and the squad looked unable to bridge the gap between what they knew and what the new manager wanted.
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"It worried supporters, especially given that you have a new manager, new players, and in the first game of the new season give a goal away after 30 seconds," Davies recalls.
Arbeloa softened, becoming more pragmatic and accepting that results and only results would save his job as he headed for the brink.
A kind run of fixtures did eventually get Fulham out of their hole, though the Cottagers' distinct lack of a clinical edge remains a major problem and a potential obstacle to them realising their potential.
Because their underlying data is impressive. In the 'expected Premier League table', Opta's model says Fulham, who in reality are 15th, ought to be eighth.
Back from the brink: Alvaro Arbeloa has engineered a quick turnaround at Craven Cottage (Getty)
Fulham are more possession-based under their new manager, their attacking patterns more zippy and lively than at the end of Silva's tenure, when some felt they were "stale".
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Silva was exceptional at judging which substitution to make and when, though - the area representing Arbeloa's greatest shortcoming so far.
Centre-backs Calvin Bassey and David Affengruber have been among Arbeloa's trustiest performers, while 19-year-old midfielder Josh King has come on immensely.
Statistically his displays this season are night and day compared with last term, and he is shouldering real responsibility for his age.
While they may face difficulty trying to keep hold of him in the long-term, he has no shortage of fondness for the club that made him, telling Standard Sport in an interview in April: "My personal ambitions will come - but I feel I do have a certain loyalty to Fulham."
Hosting Newcastle on Saturday is huge: a winnable game before a fairly long run of tricky fixtures. The pressure eased, Fulham must now kick on.
