Alvaro Arbeloa sat down in front of the media ahead of the match against Levante. The coach confirmed the presence of Mbappe in the squad against Levante, encouraged the Bernabeu and gave an emotional speech where he invoked the philosophy of the club.
Match against Levante
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“We are focused and with a lot of energy and desire to play a game that is fundamental. We want to return to our stadium and continue the fight for La Liga. We want to reaffirm this motivation with a great game.”
Atmosphere at the Bernabeu
“I have a lot of respect for the opinion of the Bernabeu. I understand that the fans are hurt and disappointed, but I’m going to ask them to support their players. The great feats have been achieved when the Bernabeu has been with its players. I’m going to ask them to be on our side, support us and hopefully this season will end as we want.”
His ‘early rise’ to go to Valdebebas
“I usually come in early and of course there’s a lot of work. I’ve come here to work and I’m going to give my best and I’ll work the hours necessary to put the team where it deserves and win all the titles possible.”
Mbappe
“He’s better and he’s going to be in the squad”
Physical work
“If anyone wants my words to be a criticism of Xabi and his coaching staff, they are going to be very wrong. In Albacete we lacked ideas, physicality and many things and I was responsible and from now on I will be responsible. It is a privilege to work with Antonio Pintus and we are going to work to recover the best version of the players in all aspects.”
The message to Vinicius in Albacete
“In that regard, the squad was made up of players who could play. Those who stayed were because they were injured or there was an effort of injury. I appreciated Vini’s effort because I know where he came from, the effort he had made. He didn’t stop facing up, asking for the ball… That’s being a leader and that’s what I need from Vinicius and what I want to see in him. I’ve also read a lot of criticism of the youth players and you’re always going to have me in front of you because Madrid’s youth academy is the best in the world.”
Albacete squad
“Those who stayed in Madrid could not travel. All those who travelled could. Those who stayed could not and were at risk of injury.”
Bellingham
“We have trained for a couple of days and you realise the class he has and he has to be another of the leaders of the team, with the ability he has to play football. I like players with mobility and I’m going to ask him to be important, to have an impact on the game. I want him to go out on the pitch and be clear about what he has to do.”
Valverde and the right-back
“The luck I have with Fede is that as a goalkeeper he would also do well. He is a boy with such a great ability to play football that he would do well anywhere. The other day he was in his natural position and I have in him a great captain and has played where he has been asked. We are going to see him in many positions. I like a team in which there is a lot of mobility, in which positions are exchanged. You are going to see a team with the full-back inside, outside… with a lot of mobility. For me Valverde is what a Madrid player should be, what embodies the spirit of Juanito. Fede is Madridismo.”
Attitude on the sidelines
“At Castilla I don’t even have to raise my voice for them to listen to me, here on a pitch where you shout it’s difficult for them to hear me. I spoke to those who were close on the touchline. It’s difficult for a player on a pitch like that to hear you. My main job is to talk to them during the week and make sure they know what they have to do. I try to be a calm coach and not get carried away by emotions. I miss the fact that they can’t hear me.”
What do you want to see in Madrid?
“I want a team that goes out to win from the first minute, that there is no doubt that we are going for the opponent’s goal. I want to transmit that regardless of the fact that we have a football idea that we are going to work on. I want a team that transmits passion and enthusiasm.”
Reflections after elimination
“I understand that people look for culprits, but I work to find solutions. When things don’t go well, it’s because I have to help my players better. If they don’t do it, it’s because I haven’t been able to or they haven’t understood what I wanted. I feel very responsible for what happens on the field. I wouldn’t change a thing about that defeat in Albacete. I told them an anecdote in the dressing room, that it took me many years to win a European Cup. I was world champion, European champion, I had won a lot… And when I finally won that European Cup, which was the tenth and which was very important, I got on the bus and had behind me a teammate who had been there for a year and he said: let’s go for another one, right? I said to the dressing room: do you know who it is? Your captain, who was already thinking about another one. The past doesn’t matter.”
What do you need?
“Coaches need what we don’t have, which is time. But I don’t need anything, the circumstances don’t make me tremble or doubt for a moment. I sleep very well although I wake up early, but I go to bed early too, don’t worry about me”
Threshold of failure
“I don’t set any threshold. A teammate asked me about failure and I say the same thing. Every failure I’ve had has made me improve, ask myself questions. Failures bring you closer to where you want to go.”
Rodrygo
“He’s not going to be available, he’s recovering from a very big effort. Let’s hope we can get him back soon. We all know about his exceptional quality. We have many moments of his in our memory and these last two months he has recovered his level.”
