A new era will start in Madrid this summer. Xabi Alonso will recover the keys to the cloakroom of the Santiago Bernabéu and it is now he who will direct the band of Kylian Mbappé, taking over from Carlo Ancelotti. The enthusiasm is indeed present in Madrid, where we hope that the former legendary midfielder will succeed in building an attractive, offensive and formidable team. At the same time, one of his former teammates in Madrid, Liverpool and also in Spanish selection continues to make noise internally. It is Alvaro Arbeloa (42), which is logically not present. Coach of the Juvenil A (U19) of the Merengues, he should this summer take over from Raul Gonzalez at the head of Real Madrid Castilla, the B team of the Spanish capital.
It must be said that on paper, his record is strong, despite a defeat in the sixteenth of the UEFA Youth League this season. He won the championship in his category, his second in three seasons with young Merengues shoots, but above all, he distinguished himself by his methods and his way of working. Enough to confirm the hopes placed in him by the management which, upon retirement of football in 2017, joined it in the club, first in a role of ambassador and then integrating it into the staff of the youth teams, starting with the U13 and the U15. But what makes him such a special coach in the eyes of Florentino Pérez, José Angel Sanchez and other thinking heads of the club? The first element of response is obvious: its professionalism and its requirement.
He treats his young people as players of the first team
A player who was not necessarily the most talented nor the most technically gifted on the field, he compensated by his inexhaustible defensive work, by his aggressiveness and his aggressiveness. Inevitably, now that he has the coach cap, he expects his players to behave on the field as he did at the time. He demands from his players a constant undermining and pressing job, and this is one of the reasons that made his team the nightmare of other coaches. In an age category where players find it more difficult to be disciplined and read the game, Arbeloa has made his young machines that do not skimp on efforts, and which recover the ball very quickly. Then they attack vertically and direct to pierce the opposing lines. Clearly, as the Madrid press which follows its evolution explains as a coach, he considers his U19s as professional players and his requirements and methods are up to a first division team.
Reader For example, he explained that he is organizing individual meetings with each member of his workforce, to advise them on aspects that could help them improve, or to correct errors via video viewing sessions. The rules imposed by Arbeloa concerning extra-sports behavior are also presented as very strict, with financial sanctions. However, Arbeloa is far from being a tyrannical coach, contrary to what one might think in view of his way of working almost military. The first concerned, namely its players, are delighted and flourish in this context, aware that it is an ideal framework for progress and which knows how to shine with the pros. Some of the players he has contributed to training have also experienced a meteoric rise in recent months, like Nico Paz, already an Argentinian international and author of a full season with a comeback in Serie A, or even Jacobo Ramon and Gonzalo, the defender and the attacker who have already started under the orders of Carlo Ancelotti as a first team.
An obvious men's leader
He found a balance between this role of demanding and rigorous trainer, and that of paternal figure which puts confidence his players. While Iker Bravo, today at Udinese, was highly criticized internally at the club because of attitude problems and fairly medium services, Arbeloa continued to trust him, which paid since he managed to get the best of the attacker, who also thanked him publicly. He therefore distinguished himself by his management of troops and egos, succeeding in creating rather healthy and united groups. Which is very important in Madrid, where we are also aware that Arbeloa, because of his experience with Real Madrid by José Mourinho, will manage the media and social context sometimes complicated around the club.
He also confessed to be inspired by the Portuguese coach, who saw him in him a real relay in the locker room. Arbeloa is also part of this paradigm of “Coach Bouclier”, which federates its players, who also protects them and is ready to go up to the front to defend them. Even footballistically, there are blatant similarities. In addition to this pressing and the requirement mentioned above, there are certain common play philosophies. He asks for example his players, especially in the defensive sector, to do everything to avoid errors. Do not go wrong, rather than doing too much. He clearly prefers a long hazardous clearance that a risky recovery near his cages. “The less you make mistakes, the more you will be paid”he often said to his players. Alvaro Arbeloa will continue to make her classes, with Castilla next season. But Xabi Alonso knows it, in case it goes bad for him in the coming years, Real Madrid already has a very serious candidate to replace him …
