Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has pointed the finger at officiating again after his side failed to win against Girona on Friday night, sliding to a third straight game without a win. Thomas Lemar’s equaliser in the second half proved too much of an obstacle to overcome for his side, which was rotated ahead of the return leg against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The main talking point in his press conference was a penalty in the last minute that was not given, after Kylian Mbappe went down in the box. Arbeloa was furious at the decision.
“For me, it’s a penalty here and on the moon. And… well, it’s just another one. Another one, another week. It is what it is,” he told Diario AS.
Mbappe was seen bleeding after his collision with Vitor Reis, and Arbeloa was asked why VAR did not intervene.
“No… no… I don’t understand it myself, and I don’t think anyone does. When does VAR come in? I imagine it’s when it’s convenient, and when it’s not, well, it doesn’t. It’s something that… well, as I said yesterday, you already know my opinion. And these events really confirm it. It’s a clear-cut case, in my opinion. They called a foul on Kylian in the first half that, well, in my opinion, was less serious than a penalty. That’s it. We’ve had so many problems with referees. With this one… last week in Mallorca… well… (pause and half-smile), the same old story.”
Despite their struggles to create clear chances, Arbeloa was of the opinion his side did enough to win.
“I leave with the feeling that, without playing the most brilliant match, which is obvious and clear, it’s a game we should have won. Plain and simple. With all the chances we had and how little we conceded to Girona… it was a game, well, with a lineup strong enough to win, and with the performance of the players, I think we had chances… we should have scored a few more goals. But it wasn’t to be. And we leave with this draw.”
One of the talking points following their loss to RCD Mallorca last week was that his side was not focused. It was put to Arbeloa that the title race was escaping Los Blancos due to results against Getafe, Osasuna, Mallorca and Girona, sides they should theoretically have plenty to beat.
“Well, we haven’t won any of those matches. And… as I’ve always said (smiles), to beat any team we need to give 200%. 200%. We’re not a team that can win 90% of the time… or not always! So, if you want to be much more confident against teams that you’re clearly superior to, you have to go all out. Otherwise, you can have setbacks like the ones we’re having… far too often.”
Barcelona can open up a nine-point gap with seven points to go with a win over Espanyol on Saturday, but Arbeloa was not willing to through in the towel.
“No, I’ll only feel that way the day we lose it. Until we lose it, we’ll keep fighting. And as I always tell you: if we ever lose it, we have no choice but to go out into every match and defend our badge, putting on the best possible performance. And… this is Real Madrid. So, until the very last day, we have to fight.”
Since Mbappe has returned to the starting XI, Los Blancos have failed to win, which will only feed the narrative that his partnership with Vinicius Junior lacks chemistry. Arbeloa was not concerned about it though.
“No, man… (laughs). Look, I can’t worry about two players with the stats they have. I mean, they’re two of, I don’t know, four or five of the best players in the world. I can’t be worried at all. I think we have to improve a lot of things collectively. Especially with something we’ve been struggling with a lot: teams that sit back, that leave us little space, that don’t come looking for us often. It’s something we’re still struggling with, and I think it has more to do with collective performance than individual talent. And… hopefully, like all streaks, it can end on Wednesday. And that we’ll be more clinical in front of goal.”
Another Real Madrid player coming in for heavy criticism is Eduardo Camavinga. The French midfielder failed to track his marker against Mallorca for the islanders’ opening goal, and appeared in the shot when Lemar equalised.
“Well, we wanted… I wanted to see Eduardo in that position. Besides, I think he already played there with us against Villarreal. He’s done it on other occasions. He feels very comfortable as a defensive midfielder and, moreover, he understands that it’s the position where he performs best. For me, it was important to see him, for him to understand what I want from that position.”
“Where he needs to position himself, how I want him to position himself… It’s clear that Eduardo has always been a very mobile player… excuse me, Camavinga has always been a very mobile player. And perhaps in that position he needs to position himself differently. And also to help us in our build-up play, as well as when defending. And well, I think it was a good option to start with today.”
One of the few bright spots was the performance of Jude Bellingham, who made his first start in over two months. He looked sharp, but Arbeloa would not confirm his place in the XI in Munich.
“We’ll see, we’ll see on Wednesday. But yes, I think we saw Bellingham looking good. Agile, confident. He’s quite tired now, which is understandable. Because after so much time off, this is the first match he’s started. But I think it’s been very good for him to get back into rhythm, to regain his feel for the game; to continue with the feeling he had at the end of last Tuesday. And I think we should be very happy with his performance. For everything he brings to the team, too. I think it’s been positive for him.”
Real Madrid face Bayern on Wednesday at the 21:00 CEST in the return leg of their Champions League clash, with a 2-1 deficit to overturn. Camavinga is in the running to start, with Aurelien Tchouameni suspended.