Alvaro Arbeloa has replaced Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid coach. At a press conference, the new coach appeared confident.
New Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, appointed Monday to replace his ex-teammate Xabi Alonso on the Madrid bench, assured that he had no “not afraid of failure” and that he would lead the team with “the ambition to fight to win everything”.
Asked about the impact of his former coach José Mourinho on his way of coaching, the 42-year-old former right-back replied that he had been “greatly influenced” by the Portuguese tactician.
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“I’m not afraid of failure, I never had it. But I will be myself, Alvaro Arbeloa, because if I tried to be Mourinho I would fail.he declared during his first press conference, on the eve of the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey against Albacete.
The 2010 world champion, until now coach of the Real reserve team, where he won everything as a player between 2009 and 2016, said he “aware” of the challenge that awaits him at the head of the Spanish giant.
“I’m 42 years old, I’ll be 43 this weekend, and I’ve spent 20 years of my life here, in this house. And I will stay there as long as they want me. I know what it’s like to be a Real Madrid player, I know what it’s like to win here, and what that means.”said Arbeloa, winner of two Champions Leagues, one La Liga and two Copas del Rey.
“We still have the whole season ahead of us. We are well placed in La Liga (2nd, four points behind Barça) and in the Champions League (7th in the League phase). The objective is to ensure that the players are happy, that they have fun on the pitch, being aware of the enormous privilege that we all have, and with the ambition to fight to win all the titles possible.
Arbeloa also felt that Real could not win “only by remaining faithful to the values of the club, with effort, sacrifice and regularity”.
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Appointed Monday to replace his ex-teammate and friend Xabi Alonso, the former defender wanted his team to take “a new beginning”where all players will leave “from scratch”.
He perhaps gave a first indication of his approach by calling into the first team five young players trained at the club he had under his command just a few hours ago.
Some of them could play their first professional minutes on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey against Albacete (D2), in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, left to rest on Tuesday, and Rodrygo, Antonio Rudiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy.
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