Arbeloa says he 'doesn't feel fear' as winless Fulham sit bottom
October 11, 2026 00:20
Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa defended his position after his side lost 2-1 at Ipswich, where the hosts scored twice after the 88th minute to overturn the Cottagers. It was Fulham's sixth Premier League game without a win and left them bottom of the table with two points.
COACH RESPONSE
Arbeloa repeatedly rejected concerns about his own status, saying: "I never worry about my position" and "I don't feel fear. You cannot be a coach if you feel it." He added he was "so happy with many things that they are doing" and stressed "it's not about my position, it is about Fulham's position." He also referenced his past playing and coaching at top clubs when discussing pressure: "pressure is part of my life since I was a kid... I think pressure is something that is important for me and I like it."
KEY CONTEXT
This was the second successive Premier League match in which Fulham led approaching the final few minutes only to concede. Under Arbeloa they have conceded goals in the final 15 minutes in four of their six league outings. Arbeloa replaced Marco Silva, who left in the summer to become head coach of Benfica, and had only a brief spell as Real Madrid manager from January until May this year.
PLAYERS' VIEW
Ryan Sessegnon, who gave Fulham the lead at Ipswich, said the squad needed to examine its mentality and raise standards: "We need to take a hard look at ourselves... It's a bit of mentality thing at the moment. We need to set higher standards for ourselves because it's going to be a hard season."
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Fulham face a run of fixtures against newly promoted sides: they host Hull on Saturday, 17 October, then travel to Coventry a week later. The source noted that failure to win at least one of those fixtures would increase the pressure on Arbeloa.