‘Winning is what matters’: Álvaro Arbeloa under no illusions about Real Madrid job

Álvaro Arbeloa has made it clear that he is under no illusions about the challenges he will face after assuming the role of Real Madrid head coach.

The 42-year-old former Spain international, previously coach of Castilla, Madrid’s B team, was promoted to the top job on Monday after the tumultuous reign of his close friend Xabi Alonso ended by mutual agreement. 

The departure of Alonso, barely seven months after his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, followed Sunday’s defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa de España final in Kuwait. 

Arbeloa, who entered the club’s youth system as an 18-year-old and went on to play for Deportivo de La Coruña and Liverpool before returning to the Bernabeu, first as a player and later as a coach, said he remained strongly aware of the expectations that accompany his new job.

Álvaro Arbeloa: ‘I know where I stand’

“Real Madrid has 120 years of history, and it’s difficult for things to be recognised,” said the Spaniard, whose glittering array of honours with the club included La Liga, two European Cup titles and the Club World Cup.

“Some of us here have won three Champions Leagues, and I know where I stand. I know the demands placed on us and what it means to play well, what the fans want to see. Here, winning is what matters.”

Alonso did his share of that, leaving Madrid just four points behind league leaders Barcelona, seventh in the Champions League standings and well placed for automatic qualification to the last 16, and still fighting in the Copa del Rey. 

How Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid tenure went wrong

Yet a poor run of results between early November and the beginning of last month, combined with a strained relationship with Brazilian winger Vinícius Júnior, who reacted furiously to being substituted in the season’s first Clásico and subsequently put contract talks on hold, fatally undermined his tenure. 

Alonso’s efforts to emphasise the collective were thwarted not only by his spat with Vinícius, but also by episodes like Federico Valverde’s public expression of discontent over playing at right-back and, on Sunday in Kuwait, Kylian Mbappé’s refusal to accede to the manager’s request to form a guard of honour for Barcelona. Asked how he would deal with a dressing room replete with egos, Arbeloa insisted he did not foresee problems. 

Álvaro Arbeloa: Real Madrid squad are ‘all really good guys’

“It’s not something that worries me too much,” he said. “We have a squad with great players, and they’re all really good guys. No one is more interested in winning titles than the players themselves. I’ve told them that the best time of my life was playing for Real Madrid, and they have to enjoy it. They’re demanding of themselves. It’s been a good first impression.

“Everyone is starting from scratch, it’s a new beginning. That’s it, it’s a new beginning for everyone, starting with the match against Albacete [in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night]. All the players are very eager, they’ve shown me that enthusiasm.”

What did Álvaro Arbeloa say about predecessor Xabi Alonso?

Arbeloa added that he had spoken to Alonso, a former Liverpool, Madrid and Spain team-mate to whom he remains close, but declined to reveal what the pair had discussed.

“After I found out the decision of the club and Xabi to reach a mutual agreement to part ways, you all know the relationship I have with Xabi, which is very close – of course I spoke with him afterwards,” said Arbeloa. “Obviously, what I discussed with Xabi will remain between us.

“Nothing got in the way of our relationship in any way. He wished me all the best, just as I would wish him the same. We have a friendship that transcends everything. He wished me all the best. He’s going to do very well, and we’ll always be together.”

What did Álvaro Arbeloa say about the nature of his Real Madrid tenure?

Intriguingly, given speculation in Madrid that club president Florentino Pérez hopes to appoint Jürgen Klopp next summer, Arbeloa refused to be drawn when asked whether he had been appointed on an interim basis.

“I’ve been here 20 years at my home,” he said. “I can tell you that I’ll be here until Real Madrid tell me to go. I feel it is my home, and that’s the way I see it.”