Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has urged his players to use their upcoming trip to Anfield as an opportunity to turn around a difficult start to the season, insisting he remains fully committed to the long-term project at Craven Cottage despite the club's current struggles.
Fulham currently sit without a single point after their opening matches, a run of results that has piled early pressure on the Spanish coach since he took charge. Arbeloa, however, made clear that he does not view his tenure through the lens of short-term results, stressing that his focus is on building something more substantial for the club.
"I haven't just come here for three games or a month in charge, I've come here because I wanted to improve this team. That's where my energy goes," Arbeloa said.
The challenge will not get any easier this weekend, with Fulham traveling to Merseyside to face Andoni Iraola's Liverpool, a side that will provide a stern test for a team still searching for its first win of the campaign. Arbeloa believes this fixture represents the perfect stage for his squad to prove they can compete at the highest level and finally convert their performances into results.
"I think we need to send a message tomorrow," he said. "Tomorrow is where we have to send a message for us. We need to win games and that has to be our message."
The former Real Madrid and Liverpool defender acknowledged the frustration surrounding Fulham's winless start but pushed back against the notion that his team's performances have been entirely lacking, pointing instead to fine margins that have gone against them so far this season.
"We know that we have zero points. Of course we did many things well, but it's not well enough. And we know that, and we need to do better and if we want to send a message, we need to start winning games and doing better," Arbeloa added.
On the injury front, Fulham will have a boost heading into the Anfield clash, with deadline-day signing David Affengruber declared fit and available to start after his summer arrival at the club.
Arbeloa also detailed the work being done on the training ground to address the issues that have prevented Fulham from picking up results, describing a week of honest conversations with his squad about their defensive shape and how to manage games when possession is lost.
"Every Monday, I like to talk with my squad about the game, especially when you are not winning," he explained. "For me they are doing so many things well and we need to understand what we are doing wrong and why we are not winning games."
The coach praised his side's intensity and pressing but stressed that greater control with the ball and a more disciplined defensive structure would be crucial against a talented Liverpool outfit.
"They understand that they are pressing well, running, we are very intense as a team and we need to become a team very difficult to beat. And for us, we need to control very well when we have the ball, don't be so exposed," he said.
Arbeloa added that finding the right balance between attacking ambition and defensive solidity would be key to Fulham's approach at Anfield. "Balance is the key, we will have to defend in a low block, medium block sometimes. It's very important, we need to be ready when we lose the ball, what we're going to do. That's what we've been working on," he concluded.
Fulham will be hoping their preparation translates into a positive result as they look to kickstart their season against one of the Premier League's traditional heavyweights.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.