Every word from the broadcast section of Álvaro Arbeloa’s first press conference as Fulham Head Coach, ahead of our season opener against Chelsea on Monday evening.
Álvaro, welcome back to the Premier League. How have preparations been going ahead of the new season?
Well, I think we have been working so hard during the pre-season with my players. I really love their attitude. They were open to learn, they were open to new ideas, and I really love their attitude, like I say. So, now we feel ready for next Monday – big game, and yes, we feel confident.
Jonah Kusi-Asare has been made a permanent signing, you've made a domestic signing in Shea Charles, but you've also brought over the Real Madrid duo of Gonzalo García and César Palacios. What can they bring to this Fulham side?
Well, they are different, but these two players are talented players, young players, players with ambition. I think they fit in the way that we want to play. Obviously, César and Gonzalo both know me very, very well, and they know what I expect from them. So I am happy to have them with me, and I think they will both do very, very well this season, and they are proper Premier League players.
Are you happy with how the squad is looking? Can we expect you to be going back into the transfer market in this window?
Yes, of course. I think we can make the squad stronger and more balanced, but I'm happy with the way that the Club is working during this summer, like I said, with the three new players, so we are still working on it.
You said you want your team to play with passion and ambition. What else can you tell us about the style of football that you want to see in this Fulham side?
We want to be brave with the ball, be comfortable with the ball, and move quickly and with purpose, and be aggressive without it. Like you say, it's about showing this character, this ambition, this personality, through our style of game.
It's a really big night on Monday night, and you're up against Xabi Alonso, a person that you know so well from your time as a player. But does that help you in a way? Does it give you a better idea of how he might be setting up Chelsea on Monday night?
No, he's a coach, so we analyse Chelsea like we did with other teams, and like we will do with every team. I know [him] well because I watch so many, many games of his teams, but we know it will be not be easy. They are a very strong squad, with top players, they made also good, good signings, so we have to be ready if we want to beat them. We have to do a very good game.
Have you spoken to him at all in the build-up?
A few days ago. We didn't talk about football, just because our families are coming to London. We are very good friends, until Monday night, and then when we will be there on the touchline, so close, and for 90 minutes I think we'll give everything for our clubs, and we will try to win the game. For 90 minutes, we are not friends, and that's the most important thing. We both want to win that game.
The league has changed a lot since you were last in it 10 years ago. What are your expectations for the season to come and, also, your more long-term ambitions with Fulham?
Well, football for me is not about what you want to achieve. It’s about what you are willing to do to achieve it, and I am really focused on my job and the work that I have to do every day with my players. So, like I said before, they have a very good attitude, and we need to improve for sure. It's a new era, new ideas, and a new manager, many new things, so we will need time, and we have a very difficult month ahead of us, but I think that month will not define our entire season, for good or for bad. It's about the work that we have to do every day.
How much are you enjoying life at Fulham so far and back in England?
So far, so good. So far, so good. I am so happy to be here again in England, in London, after 10 years. My family came yesterday, so we are ready for this new chapter together. Obviously I changed a lot in these 10 years, but we are ready for this new challenge.
And a West London derby to start the season. How aware are you of the rivalry and what it means to the Fulham fanbase?
I know how important that game is for our supporters. It’s also very important for everyone at the Club, for us, for players, for me. It’s the first game of the season, first game at Craven Cottage, so we are ready, we are excited, and of course we can't wait for that game.
I know you said you won't be friends on Monday night, but how would you describe your relationship with Xabi Alonso?
We are very close friends, so we try to talk every month, every week, and now we will be closer, and we can talk about the games. We have children that are friends, also. So, yes, he’s a good friend, and we spent many, many years together – Liverpool, Real Madrid, national team, so we are very good friends.
Will it be strange seeing him?
Yes, very, because now he will be so close. But also as a player, you have these type of things where you have to face your friends, and they are your rival. So now it will be the same as a coach.
What kind of football, what style of football do you think he will bring to Chelsea?
I think we have some similar ideas. He wants to dominate the game through the ball, and he is also aggressive with the ball. But he's a very complete manager, and he wants his team to be very complete, also, so it's not going to be easy for us. We want to win the game, we want to do a very complete game, and we have to be very competitive, and we need to fight from the first minute until the final whistle.
A home game to start the season as well. How important is it that Craven Cottage is a fortress for you?
Yes – very, very, very important for us. I remember when I was a player, Craven Cottage was always a very difficult place to come. You can feel the supporters are really close to the pitch, and now I want to feel that special moment as Fulham Head Coach. For us, they will be very important if we want to win games at home. For sure, they are going to be so important for us.
You're looking forward to it?
Yeah, I can't wait to be there on Monday.
It's been a long time, it's been five years since Fulham have had a new manager. I just wonder how it has felt for you to come into this Club after such a period of stability for them?
I think Marco did a very good job, and he deserved that recognition. He did very, very, very well, and the players were so happy with, and so comfortable with, him. And now it's a new time with a new manager but, for me, it has been so easy. Everyone at the Club made me feel very welcome, so I'm so happy, and I enjoyed this time.
You're relatively new to management – becoming a manager in the Premier League, some people say this is the toughest league in the world. What makes you think that you can succeed in the Premier League?
Well, I know what I want. I know how to do it, and I know what I have to do, and for me that is very clear. I know how difficult this league is. You have to play against a great team every weekend, I know that, but I feel confident with the players that I have. I think we will be a very difficult team to beat, so I feel ready for anything.
Are you confident that you'll have the players you need by the time the transfer window closes?
I am so happy with the Club at this moment, how they are working during all the summer. We brought three very good players. These players, they had many, many offers, so I'm so happy. And, like I say before, we are still believing that we can make our squad stronger and more balanced, and we are working on it.
If you compare your squad and the amount of money you're able to spend, to what you're going to face on Monday against your friend, it's quite significantly different, isn't it?
Yes, but you need to play that game. It's not about the money that you spend during the summer. It's about what we are going to do during 90 minutes, and we need to go out there believing that we can beat them. Like I say, it's not going to be easy, we need to do a very, very, very good game in every phase of the game for 90 minutes. We know that, but we are in the Premier League, you have to face some of the best teams in the world, so we are ready.
A lot has changed since Fulham played Chelsea at Craven Cottage last season, including the two goal scorers from Fulham leaving the Club. You say it's going to be a tough start and not to be judged by your first few games, but if you beat Chelsea on Monday night, that will be a very good introduction…
So, we are working for that, and obviously that would be so, so important for us if we can win that game against Chelsea first game, and get these three points. Will be so important, but as a manager, the only thing that I can think is about our performance. It's not about the result, about the goals, it’s about our performance – to be ready and to play against Chelsea, and we are working very, very hard to do this.
In that case, if you lose on Monday, but you play in the way that you've asked the players to play, would that be a satisfactory outcome for you?
Every, every game, I expect that from my players. We don't know – we will win games, we will lose games, but I want a competitive team. I want a team that believes that we can beat anyone. I want a team that shows character, ambition, personality. Some days we will play good, some days we will play bad, but we need to show that we represent the Club in the right way.