Fulham boss Álvaro Arbeloa is warning his side that Crystal Palace’s winless start to the season is a stark illusion, with the Cottagers’ new manager acutely aware of the danger Pierre Sage’s Eagles pose ahead of this afternoon’s London derby.
The Battle of the Winless at Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage plays host to a desperate early-season showdown this afternoon as two sides searching for their first Premier League points of the campaign collide. Both clubs find themselves adapting to life under new management, and with the pressure already mounting in west London, Álvaro Arbeloa ahead of the fixture during his pre match press conference on Friday said he knows the urgency of getting off the mark on home turf.
“Yes, it’s very important, because we play at home, we play against a team that didn’t win any points, like us, in the first two games,” Arbeloa admitted when pressed on the necessity of a response following defeats to Chelsea and Sunderland.
“I think it’s very early, but points are always very important. It’s another London Derby, so it’s very important for us to show the team that we want to be.”
Respect for Sage and the Eagles
While the Fulham faithful are understandably restless after an opening fortnight featuring losses to the Blues and the Black Cats, the Spaniard is refusing to underestimate a Crystal Palace side that beat his team during pre-season. Despite Palace sitting 18th following losses to Everton and a 4-1 reverse against Manchester City, Arbeloa sees clear tactical identity and plenty of threat in Sage’s setup.
“He’s a new manager for them, also,” Arbeloa said of his opposite number, who replaced Oliver Glasner in the summer. “I think the season is so, so, so long, and I can understand that normally fans are not patient because they want points. It’s not just about how you play, they want points. That is, at the end, the most important thing.
“But I think he’s a very, very good coach with very clear ideas, and you can see the patterns and how they play, so it’s very clear for me. We played against them in the pre-season, and they beat us, so we know each other very well.”
Spotting the Danger Signs
Palace’s early scorelines might suggest a side struggling to adapt, but Arbeloa’s tactical assessment paints a very different picture for travelling supporters to take heart from. The Fulham head coach highlighted the underlying quality in Palace’s performances so far, noting how close they came to taking something from their opening fixtures.
“I saw the game against City – City, we know how strong they are. They had very good action and situation against City. They lost, but they created so many good chances. Against Everton, too. I think they played very, very well against Everton. I don’t know if they deserved to lose that game. It’s going to be a tough game for us.”
With history firmly on the side of the Eagles who have not lost a league match at Craven Cottage since January 2005 Sage’s men arrive on the Thames looking to prove their manager’s pre-match respect is well-founded by finally turning promising performances into hard Premier League points.
