Álvaro Arbeloa appeared in the press room of the Ciudad Real Madrid and analyzed the match against Espanyol on Matchday 34 of LaLiga, which will take place at the RCDE Stadium (Sunday, 9:00 pm CEST; Orange TV, Movistar LaLiga, and Movistar Plus+): “I expect a match with two teams that need to win due to the different situations we face. As always, Espanyol’s stadium is a tough venue. There is always a great atmosphere, with an outstanding fan base and a great team, with a fantastic coach. Surely, the results are not as good as the work they have been doing for quite a few weeks. What I’ve seen from Espanyol as a team this season has impressed me greatly, so I have a lot of respect for them, and we are aware of the difficulty we will face tomorrow.”
On Ceballos
“I do not engage in public debates about the situations I have with my players. It’s been over 20 years since I first entered the dressing room of the Real Madrid first team, and the first thing I learned from the veteran players is that what happens in the Real Madrid dressing room stays in the Real Madrid dressing room. This is something I have carried with me since then and still uphold to this day.”
Coaching change
“What concerns me is tomorrow’s match. That’s the only thing I’m focused on. I have always thought about Real Madrid, about the team, and for me, the future is tomorrow. I understand all the questions you may have and all the issues regarding this topic, but my response to this will always be the same. The future is tomorrow, and what concerns me is the match against Espanyol, winning those three points, which are important to me. I’ve said over these months that for me, every match is life at Real Madrid because that’s how I see it. I believe that the most important thing for my team, my players, and the club is tomorrow’s match.”
Is there a lack of character in the dressing room?
“We are a very young team; you just have to look at the average age. But I’ve also often talked about great players with a lot of personality and experience who are doing a great job. There have been situations on the pitch lately that we need to understand and handle better, but when you have a young squad, youthful mistakes can happen. In general, I think there are great leaders and players with a lot of personality in this team as well.”
Losing points
“I think these are evaluations that are up to you to make. As I’ve always said, I’m here to talk about the months or the time I’ve been in this position. It’s true that we’ve failed to win many matches, especially against opponents where points should not have slipped away, and those are the ones that hurt the most. Our best games have been against rivals of our own caliber, big opponents. There are matches where Real Madrid cannot afford to drop points if we want to compete for LaLiga. It’s clear that there are also situations that are difficult for us to control and are happening too often, like last week against Betis, or the day against Girona, and in many other matches. But knowing that we have to fight against these kinds of situations doesn’t change the fact that we also have a lot to improve.”
On Gonzalo’s continuity
“These are decisions that are more up to the player and the club, and they will have to decide together what is best. Of course, I know Gonzalo very well. For me, he is a young man with exceptional abilities, very impressive, who is surely playing less than he deserves based on his work, his talent, and what he could contribute. But I see him working very well. He is a very young player with a great future ahead of him. I encourage him to keep going, to keep fighting. The position he’s in has enormous competition at Real Madrid, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s doing a great job, and every time I’ve needed him, he has shown his level.”
Are you disappointed with any of your players?
“No, of course not. I have defended them publicly and would continue to do so because I know I’m in their hands. Also, because of what they have shown me day by day, their commitment, because they have always tried to give their best. Also, because I believe that’s what a coach should do. With most of them, we’ve had a fairly frank relationship; we’ve talked a lot in private, and I believe that everything we need to resolve must be done among ourselves. As long as I’m in this position, I will always defend them.”
Mastantuono
“He’s a young man who is working very well and surely, when he plays, has that desire to show everything he has inside and demonstrate to the madridista fans the player they have signed. He is truly young and could still be playing for the club’s youth team, but you can see the talent he has and his great maturity. It doesn’t seem like he’s 18 years old based on how he speaks or behaves, and he seems to me to be a young man with an extraordinary future. He is someone worth investing in because of his talent, his abilities, his commitment, and his mentality. I think that at Real Madrid, Argentine players always have a place because they share values like temperament and a winning mentality, which align with what Real Madrid represents. Franco embodies very well what a Real Madrid player should be. Hopefully, we can enjoy him for many years.”
What has happened after the break?
“Many things. There are many matches, and it’s true that the results are far from what Real Madrid should be. Nowadays, you don’t win by just getting off the bus, but it’s clear that the difference in level between Real Madrid players and the teams we face is only on paper. We have to improve a lot, as I always say, on a collective level. Nowadays, I believe that even with the talent we have, it’s not enough to just put the ball on the ground and play individually. I think we need a collective idea, a plan, a structure, patterns, and movements. To know what the teammate will do, how we want to unbalance the opponent. All of this, evidently, requires perhaps a different mentality from what we’ve had, and we’ve paid for it with points.”
Álvaro Arbeloa appeared in the press room of the Ciudad Real Madrid and analyzed the match against Espanyol on Matchday 34 of LaLiga, which will take place at the RCDE Stadium (Sunday, 9:00 pm CEST; Orange TV, Movistar LaLiga, and Movistar Plus+): “I expect a match with two teams that need to win due to the different situations we face. As always, Espanyol’s stadium is a tough venue. There is always a great atmosphere, with an outstanding fan base and a great team, with a fantastic coach. Surely, the results are not as good as the work they have been doing for quite a few weeks. What I’ve seen from Espanyol as a team this season has impressed me greatly, so I have a lot of respect for them, and we are aware of the difficulty we will face tomorrow.”
On Ceballos
“I do not engage in public debates about the situations I have with my players. It’s been over 20 years since I first entered the dressing room of the Real Madrid first team, and the first thing I learned from the veteran players is that what happens in the Real Madrid dressing room stays in the Real Madrid dressing room. This is something I have carried with me since then and still uphold to this day.”
Coaching change
“What concerns me is tomorrow’s match. That’s the only thing I’m focused on. I have always thought about Real Madrid, about the team, and for me, the future is tomorrow. I understand all the questions you may have and all the issues regarding this topic, but my response to this will always be the same. The future is tomorrow, and what concerns me is the match against Espanyol, winning those three points, which are important to me. I’ve said over these months that for me, every match is life at Real Madrid because that’s how I see it. I believe that the most important thing for my team, my players, and the club is tomorrow’s match.”
Is there a lack of character in the dressing room?
“We are a very young team; you just have to look at the average age. But I’ve also often talked about great players with a lot of personality and experience who are doing a great job. There have been situations on the pitch lately that we need to understand and handle better, but when you have a young squad, youthful mistakes can happen. In general, I think there are great leaders and players with a lot of personality in this team as well.”
Losing points
“I think these are evaluations that are up to you to make. As I’ve always said, I’m here to talk about the months or the time I’ve been in this position. It’s true that we’ve failed to win many matches, especially against opponents where points should not have slipped away, and those are the ones that hurt the most. Our best games have been against rivals of our own caliber, big opponents. There are matches where Real Madrid cannot afford to drop points if we want to compete for LaLiga. It’s clear that there are also situations that are difficult for us to control and are happening too often, like last week against Betis, or the day against Girona, and in many other matches. But knowing that we have to fight against these kinds of situations doesn’t change the fact that we also have a lot to improve.”
On Gonzalo’s continuity
“These are decisions that are more up to the player and the club, and they will have to decide together what is best. Of course, I know Gonzalo very well. For me, he is a young man with exceptional abilities, very impressive, who is surely playing less than he deserves based on his work, his talent, and what he could contribute. But I see him working very well. He is a very young player with a great future ahead of him. I encourage him to keep going, to keep fighting. The position he’s in has enormous competition at Real Madrid, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s doing a great job, and every time I’ve needed him, he has shown his level.”
Are you disappointed with any of your players?
“No, of course not. I have defended them publicly and would continue to do so because I know I’m in their hands. Also, because of what they have shown me day by day, their commitment, because they have always tried to give their best. Also, because I believe that’s what a coach should do. With most of them, we’ve had a fairly frank relationship; we’ve talked a lot in private, and I believe that everything we need to resolve must be done among ourselves. As long as I’m in this position, I will always defend them.”
Mastantuono
“He’s a young man who is working very well and surely, when he plays, has that desire to show everything he has inside and demonstrate to the madridista fans the player they have signed. He is truly young and could still be playing for the club’s youth team, but you can see the talent he has and his great maturity. It doesn’t seem like he’s 18 years old based on how he speaks or behaves, and he seems to me to be a young man with an extraordinary future. He is someone worth investing in because of his talent, his abilities, his commitment, and his mentality. I think that at Real Madrid, Argentine players always have a place because they share values like temperament and a winning mentality, which align with what Real Madrid represents. Franco embodies very well what a Real Madrid player should be. Hopefully, we can enjoy him for many years.”
What has happened after the break?
“Many things. There are many matches, and it’s true that the results are far from what Real Madrid should be. Nowadays, you don’t win by just getting off the bus, but it’s clear that the difference in level between Real Madrid players and the teams we face is only on paper. We have to improve a lot, as I always say, on a collective level. Nowadays, I believe that even with the talent we have, it’s not enough to just put the ball on the ground and play individually. I think we need a collective idea, a plan, a structure, patterns, and movements. To know what the teammate will do, how we want to unbalance the opponent. All of this, evidently, requires perhaps a different mentality from what we’ve had, and we’ve paid for it with points.”
The Potential Guard of Honor for Barcelona
"No, it is not my main motivation. My main motivation is to win the three points because that is what the team needs, because it is what this crest demands, and it is what we need after the results we have not managed to achieve in recent matches. That is my main motivation. I find no greater motivation than winning tomorrow against Espanyol.”
Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.
