Arbeloa: "Real Madrid always comes back; we have fallen many times and risen many times"

Álvaro Arbeloa appeared before the media in the Camp Nou press room and analyzed the match of the 35th League matchday against Barcelona. The Real Madrid coach started by referring to the elbow incident in the area on Bellingham: "To me, it seemed clear that there was an elbow, and we will have to ask why VAR did not intervene. Congratulations to F.C. Barcelona for winning the League today in a match that went very much in their favor very early on. Now, we focus on the three games we have left.”

Message to the fans
“We can’t say much because we understand the frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction they must feel about this season. The only thing we can do is work, look to the future, and learn from everything we’ve done wrong this year. We know that Real Madrid always comes back. We are a team that has fallen many times and risen many times, but right now I understand the anger any madridista fan might feel, just as we feel it ourselves. That is something very clear, and we have to work to turn around the situation we are in right now."

Will Mbappé be able to play by the end of the season?
“I don’t know. Two weeks remain, and depending on how he evolves from the discomfort he currently has, we’ll see if he can play or not.”

Would you have liked Mbappé to travel?
“I would have liked him to be 100% and able to play from the start. That’s what I really would have liked.”

The final stretch of the season
“I will approach it with even more responsibility, knowing that our season ended today. What we cannot do is let ourselves go, not even a little. We have three games that we must go out and win. Here, we defend something that is much bigger than all of us and much bigger than our prestige, which is the badge of Real Madrid, representing millions of fans. We need to show that we are truly hurt by playing three great games and achieving three great victories."

The match
“The game became very difficult for us too early. We were up against a great team, which is very good at managing games when they have the lead. They manage possession very well, float many players, and are a well-drilled team that had a great game. It’s a shame we didn’t convert any of the chances we had, even at 2-0, to show that we could still be in the game. It wasn’t an easy scenario for the players, and I asked them to give their all until the end, regardless of the scoreline, and that’s what we tried to do."

The team’s future
“We have a great squad from which we can get a lot of performance. I don’t want this to sound like an excuse, but it’s clear that it hasn’t been easy at all due to everything that has happened over these months, with numerous injuries to key players. From there, I believe the club will always look to improve, even though we have a squad with very good players that any team in Europe would want. Now, we can only think about the future and understand all the things we need to correct and do much better next season. There’s nothing more to add from our side.”

How would you lay the foundations for the team?
“I think that’s something that’s not for me to analyze. As I’ve said many times, we need to take a collective step forward, have a much clearer idea of what we want to do, and prioritize the team over individuals. Beyond talent, we always need to have a very clear idea, and for me, that’s the starting point. Above all, we also need to learn from the fact that we’ve lost many points against teams and in matches where we shouldn’t have. You can play against Barça and lose. They’re a team at your level, but there are many matches we shouldn’t have let slip away as we did. Surely, that’s one of the lessons to take away.”

His future
“We will surely have a conversation with the club, as is normal. Right now, what I want is for the team to finish well and not let up in these three games. I think there will be opportunities for players who are training well to get minutes and finish the season on the pitch. That will be my goal and where I’ll focus over these two weeks. Whatever the future holds, we’ll see from May 24 or 25 onward."

Why didn’t Huijsen play?
“He wanted to play, but he felt very weak and quite unwell when warming up. It was my decision for Raúl (Asencio) to play because I believed that in a match like this, we needed energy in all positions. That’s why I made that decision.”

 

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.