Alvaro Arbeloa has sat in the hot seat at Fulham to replace Marco Silva (who moved to Benfica to replace Jose Mourinho). 5 months of working without achieving the expected results at Real Madrid did not damage Arbeloa's image in the eyes of recruiters. Conversely, coming to the Premier League and playing for a mid-table team is considered a step forward in the career of the former Spanish defender.
During his time leading Real Madrid, although he did not win any titles, Arbeloa also had victories that left an impression in the hearts of fans against Benfica, Man City and Atletico Madrid. Therefore, when moving to a less prestigious club, Fulham, those impressions will make London club fans even more confident.
When Arbeloa was still in charge of Real Madrid, there were countless behind-the-scenes stories in the dressing room that made the young coach unable to control. Alvaro Arbeloa's prestige was not as high as Xabi Alonso's, but Alonso himself also dropped out of the ring partly due to a conflict with Vinicius. Fulham is considered a friendlier environment and also does not have top world stars, so Arbeloa will not get involved in difficult behind-the-scenes stories.
One of Arbeloa's positive points is his peak playing experience when he was a player, far superior to the stars playing at Fulham. If they need a coach who can witness their football skills firsthand, Fulham players can learn a lot from the 43-year-old coach. Arbeloa is also not too unfamiliar with the English football environment because when he was a player, he played for Liverpool (2006 - 2009) and played in the 2007 Champions League final.
Like his compatriot Xabi Alonso, when he was a player, Alvaro Arbeloa was led by many famous coaches such as Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Vicente del Bosque.
With good communication skills in both English and Spanish, Arbeloa will not have much difficulty in conveying ideas at Craven Cottage. The initial challenges at Real Madrid will be a very big luggage in terms of experience for Arbeloa to be more confident in his next journey in the Premier League.
Two months of coaching at Real Madrid is like studying for a master's degree. Every day there is an interesting experience, and also very good lessons for me" - Arbeloa shared.
Coaches in Spain are tending to look for jobs in the Premier League. This is the highest environment in terms of competitiveness, and income is also higher than domestically. Fulham is a mid-table team, always maintaining a position in the Premier League for many years, so they have a very good foundation. The London team is not a top name, so the pressure on Arbeloa will be moderate, very suitable for someone who has just entered the top environment in the coaching chair like the former Real Madrid legend.
The short time working as a Real Madrid coach can be seen as the last gift Florentino Perez and the club gave Alvaro Arbeloa for his loyalty over the years. Now what happens, this young coach will have to decide for himself.
