Arbeloa faced immense pressure while managing Real Madrid last season before moving to Fulham, but the team has made a terrible start and has fallen into the relegation zone.

Arbeloa moved to Fulham after his coaching stint at Real Madrid. The Premier League club gave him the authority to sign players, allowing him to bring in several "Real Madrid academy" youth players he was familiar with from his Castilla days. However, the English team's season start did not go as planned, losing all three opening league matches, with their recent form offering little hope.

In their opening match, Fulham failed to secure any points against Chelsea at home, as the Blues, with goals from João Pedro, Morgan Rogers, and Palmer, came from behind after King and Gonzalo García had scored to earn a 3-2 victory. Despite this setback, Fulham's subsequent win over League Two side Wimbledon in the English League Cup provided limited optimism.

However, after losing away to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the second round, concerns deepened, as Isidore's goal left Arbeloa's team with no points after two matches. The situation did not improve; back at Craven Cottage, Fulham, despite twice taking the lead with goals from King and César Palacios, was held to a draw by Crystal Palace. After three rounds, the team dropped into the relegation zone, sitting second from bottom.

If the poor start wasn't troubling enough, one statistic appears ominous for the former Real Madrid coach: every time Fulham has lost their opening three league matches, the team has ultimately been relegated, which occurred in the 1951-52 and 2020-21 seasons. Adding to the crisis, a split has emerged in the dressing room, with Smith Rowe and Iwobi having deleted Fulham-related photos from their Instagram accounts, a move widely interpreted as a sign of their dissatisfaction with the current situation.

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