Arbeloa dismisses sack speculation as bottom-placed Fulham face must-win Hull clash

Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa says he is refusing to let sack speculation distract him or his squad as the club sit bottom of the Premier League table, with Saturday’s home game against newly promoted Hull taking on enormous significance.

The Spaniard has managed only two points from six league matches since taking charge at Craven Cottage in the summer, with the latest setback coming at Ipswich last weekend — a game Fulham led 1-0 with three minutes remaining before conceding a late defeat.

Reports have suggested Arbeloa faces the sack if results do not improve against Hull, a fixture he himself had already labelled a “final”. But the former Real Madrid manager was keen to project calm at his pre-match press conference. “I am focused on tomorrow’s game, on my players, on my team,” he said. “That for me is the most important thing. It is not about me. It is about the club, it is about the players. It is about the supporters.”

Arbeloa acknowledged the frustration of performances not yet translating into results, pointing to competitive showings against Manchester United and Liverpool as evidence his side can execute a game plan. “We did against Man United, we did against Liverpool, so for me, we need to try to keep that level for 90 minutes,” he said.

Despite the pressure mounting, Arbeloa described the week in training as routine and pointed to the attitude of his players as a source of encouragement. “For me, it has been a normal week where we have been working hard, where we were preparing a difficult match against a very difficult team,” he said. “I saw the commitment of the players this week, how they have been training, and they are so focused on tomorrow’s game.”

Fulham’s position at the foot of the table after six games leaves little margin for error, and a second consecutive defeat would intensify calls for a change in the dugout regardless of Arbeloa’s insistence that the only thing that matters is the next 90 minutes.