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Alvaro Arbeloa Says Fulham Focus Should Not Be On Him Ahead Hull City Clash
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Fulham are bottom of the Premier League with two points after six games. Arbeloa says the focus should not be on him ahead of Hull clash.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Arbeloa faces Hull test
Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa said the focus should not be on him as his side searches for a first Premier League win of the season this weekend. Arbeloa told reporters it had "been a normal week" for him and insisted, "It is not about me, it is about the club, the players and the supporters," as Fulham prepare to face Hull City at Craven Cottage at 15:00 BST on Saturday. Fulham sit bottom of the table on two points after four defeats and two draws in their opening six league games, and Arbeloa is under increasing pressure despite Fulham reaching the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.
Ryan Sessegnon’s second-half strike had put Fulham 1-0 up against Ipswich Town last weekend, but Abdoul Ouattara and Dara O’Shea scored to give Ipswich Town a 2-1 victory after Fulham let slip a match they were leading up to the 88th minute. Fulham also looked set to take three points against Manchester United before a last-gasp Matheus Cunha deflected goal denied them victory, and Arbeloa pointed to the team’s commitment in training and in matches against Ipswich and Manchester United.
Sessegnon urges unity
Ryan Sessegnon called on Fulham to "reassess themselves" after the club remained without a victory and insisted on the need to stay united before facing Hull City.
Sessegnon said, "We must be more solid, demand more from each other and raise our level of expectation, because the season will be tough. So we must stay united," as he described frustration after Ipswich’s late comeback.
Sessegnon added that "Everyone’s morale is a bit low at the moment, which is understandable, but we must continue to fight to get this first win," framing the next match as a chance to reset after a winless start.
Hull City arrived with nine points after drawing 2-2 with Everton at the MKM Stadium, and Joe Gelhardt said Sergej Jakirovic’s team carried on momentum after the long international break.
Gelhardt told the club website, "I think it’s an excellent start," and said, "We carried on from the good results achieved before the last international break."
Predicted lineups and stakes
Fulham host Hull in a Premier League clash with predicted lineups centered on a likely XI similar to the one that took on Ipswich, with the one potential change at left back where Ryan Sessegnon started and scored. Fulham’s predicted lineup listed Leno, Tete, Affengruber, Bassey, Sessegnon, Berge, Charles, Bobb, King, Iwobi, and Garcia, while Hull’s predicted lineup listed Tzolakis, Coyle, Ajayi, Egan, Mendy, Giles, Belloumi, Crooks, Slater, Thomas, and McBurnie. The roundtable.io preview said managers have been linked to the job despite Arbeloa still occupying it, and it claimed Arbeloa has reportedly been told he needs at least four points from the next two matches to stand any chance of keeping his job.
FotMob’s Opta win probabilities put Fulham at 45.4%, Hull City at 27.7%, and the draw at 26.9%, as the matchup is framed as the 100th meeting between Fulham and Hull across all competitions. FotMob also noted Fulham have not won any of its first three home matches in the Premier League this season, and it said Hull have won only nine of their last 93 away matches in the competition, including just one of their last 21.