After the cup embarrassment, Alvaro Arbeloa’s home debut as Real Madrid coach will take place on Saturday. Ahead of the match against Levante, he spoke about the personnel situation, Vinicius Junior, and his sleep.
Preparation is key, especially for a relatively quiet sideline representative like Alvaro Arbeloa and in a stadium like the Bernabeu. “At Castilla, I don’t even have to raise my voice to be heard. Here, on a noisy pitch, it’s difficult,” said the former second team coach ahead of his home debut on Saturday against Levante (2 p.m.). “My main task is to talk to the players during the week so that they know exactly what they have to do.”
Some of them clearly didn’t know that during the cup disaster in Albacete (2-3). The Royals were lacking in almost every aspect against the second division team, especially in terms of their play.
Lacking ideas up front, vulnerable at the back, little structure, lots of mistakes—that’s how Real presented themselves in their first game after Xabi Alonso.
The ongoing topic of Vinicius Junior
Arbeloa then tried to smooth things over—and quickly learned that every word out of his mouth now carries a whole different weight. His praise for Vinicius Junior after the debacle in Albacete (“That’s the Vinicius I want to see”) caused some irritation, for example. It was hardly surprising that he was asked about it again on Friday.
“I thanked Vini for his effort because I know where he comes from and how much effort he put in,” the 42-year-old relativized a little. “He didn’t stop pushing forward, demanding the ball—that’s what makes a leader, and that’s what I need from Vinicius and what I want to see in him.”
Mbappé is at least in the squad
According to these words, Vinicius Junior will also be in the starting line-up against Levante, while Kylian Mbappé, who was recently injured, has at least made it into the squad. Jude Bellingham will also be there, with Arbeloa emphasizing that the Englishman must “be one of the leaders of the team.” Rodrygo, who is still injured, will not be available, and the timing of his return is still uncertain.
Against the second-to-last team in La Liga, however, the available personnel should of course be enough to get back on track after two consecutive defeats. According to Arbeloa, the stadium will also play an important role. “I understand that the fans are hurt and disappointed, but I will ask them to support their players. The great successes were achieved when the Bernabeu stood behind its players,” Arbeloa knows all too well from his many years as an active player in the Royal’s jersey. He also understands “that people are looking for someone to blame, but I am working on finding solutions.”
But Arbeloa also knows exactly how things work in Madrid, in the truest sense of the word. “We coaches need what we don’t have—time. But I don’t need anything, the circumstances don’t make me tremble or doubt,” he explained. “I sleep very well. Don’t worry about me.”
