When a team changes coaches, the windows don’t always open. Or fresh air doesn’t always come in. With the dismissal of Xabi and the arrival of the rookie Arbeloa, no one assured Madrid that this risky swerve was the solution to the bad smells … and the charged atmosphere, but if the Madrid that we are going to see between now and the end of the season has the attitude and legs of La Cerámica, then the change will have been correct: «The commitment of the players is undeniable. The effort they have made on a field like this, against a rival that is a great team… we knew it was one of the most complicated outings in the entire League, and we have given a very serious and solid version. But we still have room for improvement. This team is going for more. “I certainly don’t think this is their ceiling.”
This improvement is based on a non-negotiable premise for Arbeloa. Enhance the characteristics of your squad, and if that means giving up kneading the ball, so be it: «Obviously, I cannot go against the nature of the players. On the contrary, I have to try to take advantage of it. We have many players who are very dominant in space. Very fast footballers who, in addition, usually finish well. And we have to take advantage of it. When we can run, we are going to do it, because it is nature and because it is where the differences are made. “It’s going to be one of our weapons throughout the season.”
Another weapon is union, which did not exist with Alonso. Arbeloa also wanted to highlight the good vibes in the locker room: «The first thing a team has to do is be together. We are going to go through very complicated and very compromising situations. And it is through unity when one achieves the objectives. For me, the most important thing is that they are united. We saw it last Wednesday with that pineapple in Vini’s goal and we have seen it today, with Brahim.
Everyone hugged the man from Malaga after Mbappé’s penalty goal, which the Frenchman dedicated to his teammate: “For you, for you,” he whispered in his ear, while giving him a kiss and a hug. Kylian knows how bad he has had this week, after his failure in the final of the African Championship. And they don’t plan to leave him alone. They want to add him to a cause that, for the moment, in this short stage of Arbeloa, and if the Albacete backfire is ignored, has a better color than with Alonso: «We are adapting better and better to the coach and as a team, we are improving. Of course, when you win everything is easier and there is more confidence. Victories help everyone row in the same direction. Soccer is a team sport and not an individual one. If we do it as a team, the rest takes care of itself.
