Arbeloa dismisses Fulham unrest talk despite players' social media purge before Liverpool trip

Alvaro Arbeloa has moved to quash reports of unrest at Fulham ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Anfield, insisting he has ‘a very, very good group with a very good attitude’ despite the club sitting bottom of the table without a point from their opening three games.

Concerns about the mood inside the camp surfaced after last weekend’s home defeat to Crystal Palace, when unused substitute Kevin posted an Instagram story captioned ‘no speak, no hear, no see’. Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe subsequently cleared all photos — including football-related content — from their Instagram accounts, prompting speculation among supporters that Arbeloa’s arrival had created friction within the squad.

Arbeloa, who replaced the long-serving Marco Silva in the summer after a spell in charge of Real Madrid’s academy side, brought three young players with him from the Spanish club — Gonzalo Garcia, Cesar Palacios and Manuel Angel. His appointment represented a significant shift in direction for Fulham, and the early results have done little to ease scrutiny of that decision.

The former Spain international acknowledged that players left out of the starting XI cannot be expected to feel content, but framed their frustration as a positive sign. ‘For sure when you are a player and you are not playing, you can’t be happy,’ he said. ‘I want that they should need to show me that they are not happy during the training session. For me, this is the most important thing.’

Arbeloa also pointed to what he sees as encouraging signs in Fulham’s underlying performances, even as the results have failed to follow. ‘We can score goals against any team in the Premier League — that is the thing we are doing so well, creating so many chances and are aggressive without the ball,’ he said. ‘We know we need to improve and we have to adjust some parts of our game, but we are focused on the game tomorrow.’

The trip to Anfield carries personal significance for Arbeloa, who made 98 appearances for Liverpool during his playing career. He faces a Liverpool side that has won back-to-back games under Andoni Iraola, scoring twice in each match since the former Bournemouth manager took charge. Fulham, by contrast, conceded three at home to Crystal Palace last weekend and have yet to register a Premier League point this season.