Álvaro Arbeloa handled what was arguably the most explosive press conference of his tenure in remarkable fashion. Saturday’s event in Madrid wasn’t really about El Clásico at all.
Events are unfolding rapidly in Madrid these days. The biggest of the many off-field issues keeping officials on edge was undoubtedly the feud between Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni. This was a reflection of the highly explosive internal atmosphere that seems to prevail in the Royal dressing room. Real has already handed down a record-breaking fine of one million euros to the feuding players.
With so many issues burning in Madrid, the press conference with Álvaro Arbeloa was eagerly anticipated. And Real’s head coach immediately made some remarkable statements. “I’d like to say two things. First, I’m very proud of the determination, speed, and transparency with which the club has acted,” he clarified, adding: “And second, I’m proud that the players admitted their mistake, expressed their regret, and asked for forgiveness. For me, that’s enough.”
Not for the Madrid press, of course, which pounced on the story. But Arbeloa emphasized right away: “I won’t publicly burn my players at the stake, because they don’t deserve that. Not after what they’ve shown me over the last four months—and indeed over the last few years. They’ve proven that they know what it means to be a Real Madrid player, and I won’t forget that.”
Given their contributions to Real, Valverde and Tchouameni certainly deserve another chance. “I’m very proud of them and won’t allow this situation to be exploited to question their professionalism,” Arbeloa thundered, and he wasn’t done yet: “It’s a lie to claim they’re unprofessional, that they’d refuse to play because of issues with me, or that they’ve shown me disrespect—that’s simply wrong.”
Arbeloa is happy to take the blame for the situation. And for the team’s performance in general: “I take full responsibility for the fact that we as a team have probably not met expectations this season. Nevertheless, even though I’ve only been here for four months, I’m incredibly proud of my players—proud of how they’ve welcomed me, and proud of how far we’ve come. It’s clear that frustration and anger can sometimes drive you into situations you never wanted to find yourself in.“
”What happens in the Real locker room should stay in the Real locker room”
Real’s performances this season certainly have room for improvement, but Arbeloa wouldn’t say a bad word about his team. “I see a healthy locker room—one that’s ready to start winning again,” he said. “I’m confident that we’ll all continue to develop next year, with more experience. This squad is younger than the one I was part of before, and these experiences will help us mature.” Will Arbeloa get a chance to mature too? The likelihood is low; José Mourinho is considered a hot candidate to succeed him.
The incident was by no means a one-off in Real Madrid’s history. “I once had a teammate who grabbed a golf club and swung at another guy,” Arbeloa began his anecdote, before returning to the current situation: “What happens in the Real Madrid locker room should stay in the Real Madrid locker room—and that’s exactly what hurts me the most. These are situations that have always happened—though I’m by no means justifying them; quite the opposite. It was an isolated incident, and we were just unlucky that Fede ended up with a laceration. That had more to do with bad luck than with the nature of the incident itself.“
The fact that Real could ”crown” its title-less season on Sunday wasn’t really a topic of discussion on Saturday. If Barcelona manages to secure just one point in the home Clásico, Catalonia will be able to celebrate the championship right after the clash with its archrival.
