Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa reacted with a wolfish half smile when asked on Movistar TV late on Wednesday night if his team’s 3-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg win over Manchester City had been better than he could ever have imagined.
“It went better than you (the media) thought anyway,” Arbeloa replied. “I’m very happy for how the Bernabeu and the players have enjoyed themselves, they deserved a night like this, for all they have suffered, and how they worked today.
“We knew there was not much confidence in this team and these players. We’ve shown that we are Real Madrid, and you can never assume we are dead.”
It sounded like a victory lap from Arbeloa, who, during and after his playing career, has enjoyed trolling anybody who he thinks has criticised him or Madrid.
It was also understandable he would want to enjoy the opportunity to have a go back, given how huge a result this was for the team and their rookie coach, who had come into this game under massive pressure.
Many had been assuming that Arbeloa — who only replaced Xabi Alonso as Madrid coach in early January — was not going to last too long on the Bernabeu bench. Results have been mixed through his first two months, and performances have been scratchy.
Given their last game at the Bernabeu was a dismal 1-0 La Liga defeat by lowly neighbours Getafe, Arbeloa was asked by sceptical reporters pre-game if he still believed Madrid could be favourites against City.
“You all know the Champions League is special for us, with our mentality, motivation and spirit,” Arbeloa said. “We’re Real Madrid, and no matter what the circumstances, we never feel inferior to anyone.”
Arbeloa’s pre-game prediction was borne out when Madrid took the lead against the run of play. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois sent a long ball forward towards Federico Valverde out on the right, and the Uruguayan midfielder showed tremendous anticipation, athleticism and quality to take advantage of misjudgements from both Nico O’Reilly and Gianluigi Donnarumma to make it 1-0.
It was a superb individual goal, but it was no fluke. A few minutes previously, Courtois had also looked to hit Valverde down the same wing. After the game, Valverde said Arbeloa and his staff had worked on getting the team to do exactly that as they prepared to face Guardiola’s side.
“We’d trained on that a lot,” Valverde told Movistar TV. “Above all on goal kicks, that (City) would go to press up one-on-one, so we knew there would be space behind, and we had fast players up front. And we took advantage of it well.”
Arbeloa also took the credit during his media duties for getting one over Guardiola — who has had so many tactical battles against Madrid, in his current job at City, and before when he was Barcelona coach (and Arbeloa was a Madrid player under Jose Mourinho).
“We knew very well how City play, and how Pep plays, what he always looks for,” Arbeloa told Movistar TV. “We tried a lot to close off the passing lines and the spaces, and not do what they want — which is to jump out (of your defensive shape) and they get behind you. We knew we could do them damage, if we had patience and turned them around, and run at them.”
It was one of the great hat-tricks by Federico Valverde (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)
The opening goal completely changed the mood in the stadium, with confidence surging through both players and fans. There was also a feeling of deja vu for City, who have suffered plenty of similar sucker-punches against Madrid through recent years.
Valverde seemed especially energised, and went on to complete one of the great Champions League hat-tricks, giving Madrid a 3-0 lead before half-time. The new coach also deserved credit there as the 27-year-old was one of the players who struggled most to take on board Alonso’s tactical ideas. Arbeloa makes fewer specific demands, but has freed the club captain up to get forward more and make his own choices.
Madrid also had some luck as they defended their lead. There was a tremendous (and tremendously risky) clearance in his own six-yard box by Antonio Rudiger with Erling Haaland waiting to knock the cross to an empty net. Courtois made his customary wonder save by showing tremendous reflexes to block when O’Reilly had dispossessed teenager Thiago Pitarch near the penalty spot. Things did not go all Madrid’s way, though, and they could still rue Vinicius Junior’s penalty miss in the second half.
Circumstances also played into how Madrid were able to set up for Wednesday’s game. Injuries to big-name attacking players Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham made it easier for Arbeloa to field more hard-working players, especially in midfield, including 18-year-old academy graduate Pitarch, who ran his socks off in his first Champions League start.
This helped the team be more compact, and also meant Valverde could get forward knowing somebody would cover behind.
Both Mbappe and Bellingham could be back available for the second leg, or if not, the potential quarter-finals. But, as Alonso found, fitting all of Madrid’s stars into a cohesive collective is not easy.
David Alaba, Jude Bellingham, Eder Militao and Kylian Mbappe applaud from the Madrid dugout (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
On this evidence, Madrid should be able to see out the second leg. Arbeloa predicted “a lot of suffering” will be needed at the Etihad and his team will need to work just as hard again. Do that and the new coach will get a lot of credit.
Yet, Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid also faced Guardiola’s City in this competition last year, and easily qualified, only to be easily turned over by Arsenal in the next round, and Ancelotti was sacked after a season with no big trophies won.
There are still problems with this Madrid squad, and it would be no massive surprise if they struggle again to get a result when relegation battlers Elche visit the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Things can turn quickly at Madrid, as Arbeloa well knows. So, again, it was understandable why he was happy to enjoy the praise on Wednesday night. And, having got so much right on the night, he deserved his fair share.
