“Arbeloa told me that I was the fourth striker in the team, I have to accept it”. Here is what Kylian Mbappé said a few minutes after Real Madrid’s victory against Real Oviedo (2-0). Left on the bench before coming into play for the last twenty minutes, the Madrid striker did not seem to digest his coach’s choice. An outing which did not fail to ignite the Spanish capital.
Once again under fire from criticism, is Mbappé, at the time of writing these lines, on bad terms with his coach? This Saturday, at a press conference, Alvaro Arbeloa wanted to make things clear as the Merengues prepare to challenge Sevilla FC. “I understand these things can make headlines. We had already talked about everything he said, so I take it more naturally. I understand how players feel when they don’t play.thus recalled the one who is preparing to leave his functions. Relaunched, Arbeloa – who should be replaced by José Mourinho – even detailed this new episode.
A non-event for Arbeloa
“Kylian wasn’t happy the other day, and I like that. To me, this is much more normal than what has been portrayed. The best would have been for him to play a little in the second half, perhaps in the absence of tomorrow’s match the situation would have been different. But that’s all. I see what happened over the last few days as perfectly normal. My relationship with Mbappé remains the same”. Serene in front of the journalists and assuring that everything was going well with the captain of the Blues, the 43-year-old Spaniard finally concluded his intervention by sending a small reminder to his locker room…
“Every time I speak with the players, I am not afraid that they can discuss our conversations. When we talk in private, I prefer to keep it private, but I have nothing against it being discussed. I spoke to him before the match, and as I told you at the time, there was no problem.. It remains to be seen whether these statements aim to calm a locker room under high tension or really demonstrate a healthy relationship between Arbeloa and Mbappé…
