Real Madrid have moved within a point of Barcelona in La Liga since Alvaro Arbeloa took over, with the the former Castilla boss winning all four of his league fixtures. However the reviews of Arbeloa have not been unanimously positive since he took over.
Despite Los Blancos’ league form, their performances have been mixed, and mixed in between their Liga duties have been losses to Albacete in the Copa del Rey and Benfica in the Champions League. Both have raised concerns that Arbeloa may be unable to inspire the improvement required at the Bernabeu.
Although one of the issues that caused the exit of predecessor Xabi Alonso was his relationship with several Real Madrid stars, but the Basque manager did have his backers in the dressing room too. Cadena Cope report that star forward Kylian Mbappe was happier with Alonso than he is with Arbeloa.
It was notable that Mbappe, who spoke to the press the week after Alonso’s dismissal, gave a strong defence of Alonso’s work. He claimed that Alonso ‘had not failed’ at Real Madrid, and that he would be ‘a fantastic manager’ in the future.
Despite Mbappe’s stance, it appears that he is not necessarily in the majority. Reports in recent weeks say that Arbeloa’s arrival has reduced the tension at the training ground and improved the atmosphere. In particular, Arbeloa has been quick to defend his stars, including Vinicius Junior.
However Arbeloa seems yet to fully convince the squad that he will be there long-term, with some of his tactical instructions not exactly inspiring his players. Although changes can take time and adaptation before they function, it would be fair to say that the latter part is playing out on the pitch currently.
