Next up in our Half-Term Report series, we grade the start of Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham.
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RESULTS SO FAR
| GW | Result | Fulham’s xG | Fulham’s xGC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulham 2-3 Chelsea | 1.33 | 2.24 |
| 2 | Sunderland 1-0 Fulham | 0.95 | 2.02 |
| 3 | Fulham 2-3 Crystal Palace | 3.14 | 1.97 |
| 4 | Liverpool 0-0 Fulham | 0.70 | 1.28 |
| 5 | Fulham 1-1 Man United | 1.62 | 1.60 |
Having seen key names like Marco Silva, Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson (£6.2m) depart over the summer, many labelled Fulham as relegation candidates.
Life under inexperienced head coach Arbeloa began with three narrow defeats, reinforcing that view, but the Cottagers responded by drawing 0-0 at Liverpool, and they would’ve beaten Manchester United had it not been for Matheus Cunha‘s (£7.9m) late equaliser.
So, although they’re down in 19th, there’s slight optimism that this positive fixture swing will very soon bring their first win.
Studying the expected goals (xG) battles above, Fulham should have beaten Crystal Palace. Instead, they lost because of three Eagles’ left-wing-back goals!
XG/XGC RANK V OTHER TEAMS
| Total | Rank v other clubs | |
|---|---|---|
| xG | 7.74 | 8th |
| xGC | 9.12 | 18th |
As well as having the third-worst expected goals conceded (xGC) tally, they’ve gifted the most big chances to opponents (20).
However, the introduction of centre-back David Affengruber (£4.5m) and a more stable double pivot of Sander Berge (£4.9m) and Shea Charles (£5.0m) has made the Cottagers look more solid in the last two Gameweeks.
The attacking data is more encouraging on paper. Arbeloa’s lot place fourth for penalty area attempts (55), joint-seventh for overall shots (72) and eighth for xG.
But will the more pragmatic approach of the last two Gameweeks curb their attacking instincts going forward?
LINE-UP LESSONS
There’s some early line-up stability, as eight players have started every game.
A couple of midfield spots are being split between Cesar Palacios (£5.4m), Berge and Charles. The latter two began the recent Liverpool and Man United meetings, pushing Alex Iwobi (£5.4m) onto the left wing.
- READ MORE: How should FPL managers invest in Fulham?
Three names have shared one centre-back slot, with Affengruber now favoured over Joachim Andersen (£5.0m).
Imminent recoveries of injured duo Tom Cairney (£4.9m) and Kenny Tete (£4.4m) shouldn’t yet affect first-teamers.
SET-PIECE TAKERS
| Corners | Bobb (12), Iwobi (10), Kevin (4), Sessegnon (2) |
| Crosses from free-kicks | Iwobi (4), Palacios (1) |
| Shots from direct free-kicks | n/a |
| Penalties | n/a |
Iwobi and Oscar Bobb (£5.5m) lead the way for creativity, heavily boosted by set-piece duties. The former set up a match-high five chances against Man United.
What isn’t yet clear is who’ll step up to take Fulham penalties, now that Jimenez has gone.
Iwobi has never taken a Premier League spot kick, but converted in pre-season, while left-back Antonee Robinson (£4.5m) netted one in Gameweek 37.
Should we assume that centre-forward Gonzalo Garcia (£6.0m) gets first dibs? Back in 2024/25, he scored six out of seven for Real Madrid Castilla.
TOP PLAYERS FOR DEFCONS
