Fulham went to Villa Park on eight points with Álvaro Arbeloa still finding his side

Fulham took eight points from eight league games to Aston Villa. Álvaro Arbeloa's first season, the key players, Shahid Khan's money and the run so far.

Fulham changed head coach in the summer and have spent October working out what they are now.

Álvaro Arbeloa was appointed head coach on 7 July after Marco Silva left when his contract ended. Their first eight league games brought eight points: two wins, two draws and four defeats, with eight goals scored and ten conceded. The two matches before the trip to Villa Park were wins by the same score, 1-0 against Hull City and 1-0 at Coventry.

Players that matter

Alex Iwobi, the playmaker. He has an expected-assists figure of 2.60 in the Fantasy Premier League data, and he scored the winner against Hull.
Oscar Bobb, who scored the 80th-minute goal that beat Coventry last Saturday.
Josh King, two goals and an assist from midfield, who scored in August's 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea.
Bernd Leno, the goalkeeper, with three clean sheets.

Add Gonzalo García, the £34.2m summer signing from Real Madrid, who scored in the Chelsea game as well, and the attack has a new top end.

Money without noise

Shahid Khan owns the club and is chairman. The headline deal was ClickHouse, announced as principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor in July. In the transfer market the big money went on two players: García (£34.2m) and Shea Charles (£26m, rising to £30m with add-ons, from Southampton). Four smaller deals took the summer to about £85m, for a club that finished 11th last season.

The question under Arbeloa is how much of Marco Silva's Fulham survives.

How it has gone

The first weeks were wobbly. Fulham lost 3-2 at home to Chelsea, lost 1-0 at Sunderland and lost 3-2 at home to Palace. Then came a 0-0 at Liverpool on 12 September and a 1-1 draw against Manchester United. A 2-1 defeat at Ipswich on 10 October looked like another step back.

Then the pattern changed. Iwobi's goal beat Hull, Bobb's beat Coventry, and in the League Cup Fulham beat Wimbledon 3-0 and West Ham 3-2 before a 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

What to watch next

Aston Villa away today at 20:00 at Villa Park, against a side on 11 points and unbeaten in their last four league games. Then Newcastle at Craven Cottage on 7 November (15:00), after a free week. That one is the cleaner read on where Arbeloa's team really is.

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