Alvaro Arbeloa has insisted he "doesn't feel fear" over his position as Fulham manager, but the pressure on the Spaniard intensified on Saturday after Ipswich Town scored twice after the 88th minute to snatch a 2-1 win at Portman Road.

It means six Premier League games have produced no wins, just two points and bottom spot in the table — a bruising start to life as a top-flight manager for the former Liverpool and Real Madrid player.

"I never worry about my position," said Arbeloa, who replaced Marco Silva at Craven Cottage over the summer. "I don't feel fear. You cannot be a coach if you feel it. You have to work, take the decision and you need to show confidence to your players."

"For me I am so happy with many things that they are doing. I know it is not easy for them."

"It's not about my position, it is about Fulham's position. That is the most important thing. Obviously it is just six games, but it is true we need points."

Late goals proving costly

The defeat at Ipswich was the second successive league game in which Fulham led approaching the final few minutes, only to concede. Across their six matches this season, Arbeloa's side have let in goals in the final 15 minutes in four of them.

Analysis published after the match argued the result exposed Arbeloa's substitution and game-management failings as the visitors retreated late on, and warned that the former Spain defender would have to learn quickly if he is to survive in the Premier League.

A gamble that has yet to pay off

When Silva was appointed Fulham boss in 2021 he brought a stability to the club that ensured they were competitive in the Premier League, without ever really being in danger of being relegated. Silva departed in the summer to become head coach of Benfica and, in appointing Arbeloa as his replacement, Fulham were undoubtedly taking a bit of a gamble.

Arbeloa arrived with limited managerial experience at senior level, having had a brief spell in charge of Real Madrid from January until May this year.

The pressure has been building for weeks. By the time Fulham travelled to Anfield in September, they had already lost all three of their opening league matches under the new manager amid frustrations around the squad, according to a report by FotMob at the time.

'Pressure is part of my life since I was a kid'

Despite the growing scrutiny, Arbeloa was defiant after the Ipswich defeat, insisting he is the right man for the job at Fulham and can handle the pressure of needing to turn things around.

"Maybe you don't know me but I played for the best team in the world. I have coached the best team in the world," he said. "Maybe you don't know, but just to let you know, that pressure is part of my life since I was a kid."

"So, it is normal in football. It is normal for players, it is normal for coaches and everybody that is around a team. I think pressure is something that is important for me and I like it."

Crucial period coming up

The Ipswich match marked the first of three games in a row in which Fulham face newly promoted sides. They host Hull on Saturday, 17 October, before travelling to Coventry a week later, and failure to win at least one of those fixtures would increase the pressure further on Arbeloa.

"We need to take a hard look at ourselves," said Ryan Sessegnon, who had put Fulham ahead at Ipswich. "It's a bit of mentality thing at the moment. We need to try and demand more from ourselves."

"We need to set higher standards for ourselves because it's going to be a hard season."