Fulham should stick with Alvaro Arbeloa and not press the panic button, according to Louis Saha
Fulham should not push the panic button yet and sack head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, according to former striker Louis Saha.
Arbeloa has come under increasing pressure with Fulham winless in their opening six Premier League games and are rooted to the bottom of the table.
Last weekend’s capitulation at Portman Road when Ipswich came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 in stoppage time heaped the pressure on the Spaniard.
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Fulham have been ‘unlucky’ this season
But Saha – who spent three and a half years at Craven Cottage – says his former side should not look to make a change in the dugout so early in the season.
Saha said: “Thomas Frank is being linked to the Fulham job but I’m not a fan of that, I don’t think they should be ready to press the panic button this early in the season.
“We have seen close results and tight games that could’ve gone either way, it won’t help Alvaro Arbeloa or Fulham if they are linked with other managers.
“Thomas Frank is a good manager and I can only wish him to find the right club. But I’m not going to push for any club that I love to change managers, when it’s not the right time.
“Fulham have Hull City next and although Hull have really impressed this season, I think Fulham will go and get their first win of the season and go from there.”
Arbeloa replaced the popular Marco Silva in the summer and has struggled to get the team to adapt to his style of play. Arbeloa only previous managerial experience came when he was interim manager at Real Madrid last season but Saha says he needs more time to make his mark at Craven Cottage.
Fulham face Hull at home on Saturday before trips to Coventry and Aston Villa and then Newcastle at home before the next international break.
Speaking to FourFourTwo via BettingLounge, Saha added: “It’s normal to have a transition period when you change leagues and come to a club who had a good foundation for four or five years with one manager.
“Fulham are a very difficult team to play against. I think that’s still the case, but they are getting punished under Alvaro Arbeloa.
“If you want to stay in midtable and push towards Europe, you have to be able to hold onto leads and get over the line in games, that hasn’t been happening.
“Fulham are facing strong criticism, in some ways fair, because the Premier League is so brutal. One thing I’m not worried about is the style of play.
“I’ve seen them play a few times and I still feel that they’ve been unlucky. But football is not about luck, it’s about getting the results, and that’s what Arbeloa is going to be judged on.
“He has to turn things around very quickly. It’s a tough moment, but I have hope that they can turn it around.”
