Alvaro Arbeloa under pressure after Fulham’s nightmare Premier League start

Alvaro Arbeloa is already facing pressure at Fulham after a disastrous start to his first Premier League campaign, with the former Real Madrid coach losing each of his opening three league matches.

Fulham remain pointless after defeats against Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace, with frustration beginning to surface among supporters at Craven Cottage.

The latest setback was particularly painful. Fulham twice took the lead against Crystal Palace but eventually suffered a 3-2 defeat, prompting the first whistles from sections of the home crowd towards Arbeloa and his team.

Expectations increased significantly during the summer after Fulham invested heavily in several young players connected to Real Madrid.

Gonzalo Garcia, Cesar Palacios and Manuel Angel all arrived after developing through Real Madrid's academy system, leading to the squad being nicknamed “Real Fulham”.

The trio reportedly cost a combined €54million, while Fulham also strengthened with Shea Charles from Southampton and promising centre-back David Affengruber from Elche.

However, the youthful nature of Arbeloa's squad is already being exposed.

Fulham have shown encouraging attacking football but continue to concede too easily, leaving them with zero points from a possible nine.

Their only competitive victory under Arbeloa so far has come in the cup against Wimbledon.

The defeat against Palace represented another missed opportunity.

Fulham had twice put themselves in a winning position, with Palacios among the goalscorers, but were unable to protect their advantage.

That defensive vulnerability is quickly becoming Arbeloa's biggest problem.

The Spaniard believes the performances have deserved considerably more than the results suggest, though.

“We didn't deserve to lose this game,” Arbeloa said after the Palace defeat.

“I think my players gave everything, showed a good attitude, were brave and had many chances to score more goals.”

Despite three consecutive Premier League defeats, Arbeloa remains confident his young side is moving in the right direction.

He pointed towards Fulham's performance against Chelsea as another example of a match in which they played well without getting the desired result.

“We had many chances, but we were also very unlucky,” he said.

“With this spirit and this character, if we play like this, the victories will come.”

Arbeloa acknowledged that the situation is becoming difficult for his players but insisted he remains proud of their performances.

Fulham's problem is that promising displays now need to translate into points quickly. Three matches into the campaign, their ambitious new project has produced an alarming return: zero points from nine available.

Arbeloa now needs to turn encouraging aspects of Fulham's performances into results before pressure intensifies.

The immediate priority is defensive stability. Fulham have demonstrated that they can create chances and take leads, but their inability to manage those advantages has already cost them valuable points.

With a young squad still adapting to Premier League football, Fulham may require patience. However, after three consecutive defeats and the first signs of unrest at Craven Cottage, Arbeloa will know that his project needs its first league victory soon.