Arbeloa: "What must be seen in the match is humility and ambition"

Álvaro Arbeloa answered questions from the media a day before the match against Manchester City, corresponding to the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 (9:00 pm CEST; Orange TV and Movistar Liga de Campeones). Our coach said: “I want to see the same Real Madrid as in the first leg. We have no other objective than to go out and win, which is what this crest demands of us. With the same humility, commitment, and sacrifice we had in the first leg, even more because we know this stadium is not easy at all and their fans will support them a lot. We cannot go out with any mentality other than to win this game. Humility and ambition are what must be seen tomorrow." 

Does the team perform better without Mbappé?
"It's hard to think that without the best player in the world a team could be more competitive, but that speaks very well of the Real Madrid squad, of the effort many of those players are making, and of the level and quality of all of them. I'm happy that, even without having the best player in the world, people are speaking highly of how the team is doing." 

Bellingham and Mbappé
“Bellingham wanted to come with his teammates to be with the team. He will continue and do part of the training, but he won't be available tomorrow. I am very happy to see him getting closer and to feel his presence. It will be very important for his teammates to see him training and tomorrow before the match, at halftime, or afterward. He is a player who will be one of the leaders, and he already is. It's very important that he is here with us. Mbappé is already available, so you will see him tomorrow." 

Mental preparation
"We know and are very aware of the difficulty of the match and the opponent we have in front of us. Of the players, the coach, and the stadium where we are. We cannot have anything else in mind if we want to win the match, which is the goal. We have to perform at a very high level, at our best level, as in the first leg, even more so. That is the goal: to go out and aim for that performance, that level of commitment, solidarity, effort, sacrifice, and then cause them a lot of trouble, as we were able to do in the first leg."

Plan with Mbappé on the field
"Kylian gives us different qualities compared to other players like Brahim, but he is also a player who connects very well. If there is one thing that Mbappé has for me, it is that he is a very intelligent player. He has so many qualities, but I think one above all is his intelligence. He is a player capable of moving well into the spaces left by the opponent. As I said before, I am eager to have him on the field, to enjoy him and his goals, but also in the game, he will be a very important player."

Untouchable players
"I haven't felt in the two months I've been here that there are sacred cows. There are players, as you have seen during this time, like Valverde, Vinicius, or Tchouameni, who have earned their minutes on the field. For me, they are not sacred cows; they earn their status by their performance. They are delivering a performance beyond doubt, as you can see yourselves. Every player earns their minutes on the pitch."

Academy players
"What the academy boys are doing is delivering a very high level; not only in terms of commitment, effort, and dedication. They are playing really well, which is what they know how to do, in addition to having a great identity of knowing what Real Madrid is. They are boys with a lot of talent who are contributing and helping a lot. When players recover, I will have many more options. My idea is always that, with so many options, so many players, and so many matches, I hope we can always have the eleven most suitable players on the field."

Are you playing for your position in matches like this?
"It's the last thing that worries me right now, but I neither think about it nor does it worry me. All that matters to me is tomorrow's match. All I want is for the players to perform as they have in the last matches and for the madridismo to be excited, as I believe it is now thanks to the effort and commitment of the players. That is the most important thing: Real Madrid. The time I spend in this chair doesn't worry me. I'm coaching as if I've been here for 15 years and have another 15 ahead of me. I will be here for as long as I have to be, with great enthusiasm and very happy until the last day."

Valverde's role
"Fede can play in any position. He plays well everywhere. He is at his best level and is scoring. He does have that freedom of movement, and when Jude and Kylian return, we need to continue with this version of Fede."

Are you surprised that Manchester City did not train today?
"Guardiola explained it well this morning. It's not something new for them; they've done it several times this season and it has even worked out well for them. The other day I heard that against Madrid, it was Pep Guardiola's 987th match as a coach, so I won't be the one daring to give him advice. It's a team that can practically play with their eyes closed. They know each other very well and have been together for many years. I don't think the fact that they are not training today will change much in tomorrow's result."

Güler and Haaland duel
"First, that goal he scored against Elche was spectacular, a very difficult goal to score. In that duel with Haaland, we have to defend him, and the more people, the better. He is very tall, but I think Arda did a very good job, and we'll have to see tomorrow if we repeat that." 

Enjoy all the videos of this match on RM Play

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