It was an intense season for Real Madrid… And Alvaro Arbeloa saw some tough times for his first adventure as a coach at the professional level. Propelled to the head of the Merengues in January following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso, he started directly with an elimination in the Copa del Rey against a D2, Albacete, and experienced a second part of the season marked by several controversies. From the fight between Tchouameni and Valverde to his problems with Kylian MbappĂ©, the former right-back had surely dreamed of better for his first job at this level…
This summer, he had a new opportunity: to join Fulham, and the Premier League, where he had left good memories during his adventure as a player at Liverpool. The opportunity to rebuild yourself away from the chaos of Madrid. In addition, the Cottagers did not do the same crazy things as other English clubs, but still put more than 100 million euros on the table to strengthen the team.
A terrible start to the season
The Londoners notably welcomed three players from Real Madrid – Gonzalo Garcia, CĂ©sar Palacios and Manuel Angel – and also invested in players like Shea Charles and David Affengruber. But after four days, the observation is rather worrying: Fulham is already relegated, eighteenth in the Premier League standings, with a small point taken in four days, obtained against Liverpool (0-0) this weekend. Of course, no one expected Fulham to play for the title, but the Cottagers’ project still looked a little more ambitious than aiming to maintain it, especially after eleventh place last season. Across the Channel, the former Spanish international is already at the heart of criticism. Its defensive system is thus mentioned as the team’s big weak point.
His men are also very predictable with the ball, and the various summer recruits are not yet really at the expected level, like Gonzalo Garcia, author of a small goal for the moment. The English media also reported possible tensions in the locker room, with Kevin Carlos, Alex Iwobi and Emile Rowe-Smith in particular. And next weekend, it’s time for a shock against Manchester United…
