On January 12, Real Madrid made the decision to fire Xabi Alonso and install Castilla coach Alvaro Arbeloa in his place. At that moment, the choice to part ways with Alonso had not failed to be called into question, but the followers of the Merengues preferred to concentrate on the signs of destiny. Ten years after Zinedine Zidane, Florentino Pérez decided to part ways with his star coach to trust the reserve coach. What is there to dream of a prestigious future for Arbeloa? For the moment, it’s not there yet.
Next week, the 43-year-old technician will “celebrate” his first month at the head of the Merengues. A month during which his team did not really make a splash. Real Madrid was humiliated in the Copa del Rey by Albacete (2-3), was knocked out of the top 8 of the Champions League by Benfica (2-4) and its successes in La Liga are often marred by refereeing controversies. Proof of this is the last victory acquired against Rayo Vallecano after 10 minutes of added time, on a very generously awarded penalty. In the Liga standings, Real Madrid still remains a small point behind FC Barcelona, but not many people see Kylian Mbappé’s teammates going far in the Champions League given the level of play on offer.
“When the players see the compositions and the changes, I’m not going to say that they smile… but almost”
According to the Cadena SERthe atmosphere in Valdebebas would still remain appreciable despite everything. “The daily atmosphere is much better, we breathe something completely different and for that alone, the club believes that the change of coach was worth it. Because with Xabi, there was tension between the group and the coach which did not lead to anything good.said journalist Anton Meana. However, Real Madrid players already have very big doubts about their new coach. “Arbeloa is very close to the players, so much so that some find it excessive”explains Meana, who adds that certain decisions surprised a group which always rules the roost.
“The group was surprised that Ceballos did not play in Lisbon (against Benfica, editor’s note), to the detriment of Cestero, and let the coach know. (…) After the match against Rayo, the atmosphere was tense in the locker room, with technical and tactical differences between certain players and the coach. (…) Some players we spoke with expected more from the change of coach. They say it’s about working hard, but they live as if they were trained like the Castilla team. (…) There is no tactical change. (…) They (the players, editor’s note) know that certain decisions by. Change is not happening now at Real Madrid.
