Arbeloa: "I'd like to see a courageous, daring, dominant Castilla that radiates enthusiasm"

Álvaro Arbeloa will coach his first official game with Castilla this Friday, when his side take on Lugo at the Alfredo Di Stéfano (7:15pm CEST). Before kicking off his side's participation in Group 1 of Primera RFEF, the coach of our reserve team spoke to Realmadrid TV about his feelings about the preseason and his expectations for the upcoming season: "We're very excited and really looking forward to playing in front of our home fans. We're very well prepared after a great six weeks of preseason, which has been very useful for us."

Pre-season impressions
"It's been a very successful pre-season, because of the way we have trained and the level of demand that our rivals have put on us. We, as a coaching staff, are making our debut in this category and we have to be very aware of the difficulties that all our opponents are going to put on us. Our players are already aware of what's ahead of them, of how demanding, difficult and high the level is in this competition. I think our pre-season has been a success."

What kind of style will Castilla have?
"It's the style I've had since I started coaching at the club, five years ago now: I'm aiming to create a courageous, daring, dominant Real Madrid Castilla that transmits enthusiasm and passion. We want people to fill the Di Stéfano and they enjoy themselves, have a good time and feel identified and that when they see Castilla they say “this is how I want my team to play.” One of our objectives is to have our own style and identity. We're going to do it here at home and away, and also against anyone we play against."

Self-demand and responsibility
"My self-demand has always been very high. It's the path that always leads you to your objectives. What increases is the responsibility I have. When you're the coach of the best reserve team in the world, you have a huge responsibility for the crest you represent and for the development of the players. For Real Madrid, all the Castilla players are very important, because they are just a step away from the first team. I assume that responsibility with enormous pleasure and pride."

Club philosophy
"I know perfectly well what the club's philosophy is. I've been in the youth system for five years and I know what the relationship of Castilla with the first team and the Under-19s should be, because many of the players who are in our dynamic are going to be players who can also play in the Youth League with Real Madrid C. It's very important to have all that knowledge that will help me a lot in this new stage."
The promotion with Castilla 20 years ago
"I never thought that I would be coaching Castilla after 20 years. It's been just 20 years since that promotion. I've been lucky enough to win every possible title in the world of football and for me one of the biggest successes I've had was that promotion with Castilla. It's something I've also talked about with the lads, about how nice it is to be in a dressing room where everyone is a friend with a common goal."

The squad
"It is a squad with great talent, enormous technical ability and, of course, very young. It's often said that the youth teams always go from strength to strength. We have to accelerate that process as soon as possible; it has also been one of the objectives of the pre-season. We want this adaptation process to be as quick as possible and for the players to know what this division is all about. It's a very large squad, with two players per position, with a very high level and I'm delighted with the players I have at the moment."

Change of group
"When we were assigned to Group 1, I thought it could be positive for those players who had already been with Castilla for a year or two. Last year, of the four teams that went up to the second division, three were from the northern group. It gives you an idea of how demanding this group is and how competitive it's going to be. There are teams like Tenerife or Racing Ferrol, who have just come down from the Second Division; others like Lugo, who have recently been in the Second Division; and big affiliates like Atlético, Osasuna and Celta, who are always at the top. When I tell them all these kinds of things, the players realise that we are talking about something serious here, a difficulty that is going to require a huge effort. We have to be very complete in all aspects of the game and it's a very nice challenge."

League opener
"We start with Lugo and Ferrol, who are two teams that are going to be at the top for sure. Ferrol were in the second division last year, Lugo two seasons ago; they have players up top who can make a difference, who have a lot of experience. It's an exciting challenge. We want to go out in front of our fans on Friday, we want them to come and enjoy it. Above all, we have to go out and compete. That has to be our maximum requirement, the mentality of going out to win. We have 38 games, we have to go out to win all 38; when the first game is over we'll have 37 games left and we'll go out to win them. We have to have that mentality and that personality of wanting to dominate, compete for every ball and control the tempo of the game."

Premier League International Cup
"Within the context that we only had one competition, which was LaLiga, I felt the need to look for a space where everyone could develop; to do it in a real competition and with a very high demand. That's where the Premier League International Cup comes in, which gives us the opportunity to have that space to play more minutes and to do so against some of the best youth teams in Europe. On the other hand, apart from the objective of developing players, I want them to be prepared to give them the necessary tools to win when the time comes. The Real Madrid first team plays Saturday, Wednesday and Sunday. It's always very demanding, with away games and travel. I want my players to experience what it means to play every three days, how important it is to rest, to eat and to train every day."

"Those are the finer points that make you able to perform physically and mentally. What better way than to have them travel to this competition, which is four games in England against four English opponents, some of the best youth teams in England, which is going to make our day-to-day context more difficult. I want to prepare them and that has to be through being demanding, competitive and always looking for the most demanding scenarios. We have those objectives, but, of course, we have another one that is very important as long as we wear this crest: to win every competition we play in."