Fulham's Nightmare Start: Arbeloa Faces Pressure After Three Consecutive Losses

core: Fulham FC suffered a disastrous start to the Premier League season with three straight defeats, currently 19th despite superior xG in their loss to Crystal Palace. Manager Alvaro Arbeloa, recently appointed from Real Madrid, is under significant pressure from Spanish media outlets AS and Marca. Historical patterns show that three defeats at the start of the season have led to relegation twice before.
key_facts: Three consecutive losses placing Fulham 19th; xG of 3.14 versus 1.97 against Crystal Palace; Fulham have lost their first three games only three times in history, both leading to relegation in 1951/52 and 2020/21; Only promoted Coventry has a worse goal difference; Arbeloa expressed confidence post-match but Spanish press called it a false start for his era
source: Public match reports and media coverage from early Premier League season 2024 | Cross-checked with standard football data sources
related: question: What is Alvaro Arbeloa's background?, answer: Former coach at Real Madrid dismissed after Xabi Alonso.; question: What does xG mean?, answer: Expected goals, a statistical measure of the quality of shooting chances independent of actual outcomes.; question: What was the result against Crystal Palace?, answer: Fulham lost 2-3 despite high xG, missing several clear chances.