After Real Madrid's trophyless season: a disappointing start for Arbeloa at Fulham

arbeloa

Álvaro Arbeloa is embarking on a coaching adventure with Fulham, following his departure from Real Madrid after a trophyless season.

The Spaniard lost 2-0 to Norwich City in his first match in charge, and the former Real Madrid coach still has plenty of work ahead of him.

AS newspaper reported: "After the defeat to Norwich, Premier League circles have begun to wonder whether Arbeloa is capable of driving forward a project that seems destined to struggle to survive for another season in the top flight."

His path as an elite-level coach has not been easy at all. Real Madrid demand so much that few survive on the bench at the Santiago Bernabéu.

After a full year without coaching, Arbeloa headed to England to take charge of one of the most storied clubs in the Premier League. 

The gulf between the Spanish and English games is stark. The physical side dominates over the tactical, and the style of play is more direct and vertical than in Spain.

Now, after that first defeat and less than a month before the Premier League kicks off, urgency is showing on the banks of the Thames. Fulham must act to strengthen the squad and give it a fresh look.

During spells of his time in Madrid, Arbeloa proved he could give Los Blancos an identity of their own, before everything ultimately collapsed.

But the building process will not be easy, and the tests awaiting the Spaniard will reveal to the world the true mettle he is made of. 

AS concluded: "Only time will tell whether Arbeloa will succeed in this adventure, or whether he will once again fall from the back of a horse he was never able to control."