Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has refused to get into the situation with Dani Ceballos, after talk that the two have cut relations off due to an argument between the two. The 29-year-old was a surprise absence from the Real Madrid squad to face Real Betis last week, despite not being injured.
The talk is that Ceballos has played his last game for Real Madrid, telling the rest of the dressing room that he had cut relations with Arbeloa, and while he will be training with the rest of the team, he will no longer play. Arbeloa was asked about a possible disciplinary issue.
“I don’t get into public debates about my players. It’s been 20 years since I trained as a Real Madrid player, and the first thing I learnt from the veteran players was that what happens in the Real Madrid dressing room, stays in the Real Madrid dressing room.”
Arbeloa unfazed by Jose Mourinho links
A lot of the focus in the Spanish capital is over who will be the next Real Madrid manager, with Jose Mourinho heavily linked to the position. Mourinho denied talks with Los Blancos on Friday, and Arbeloa said he was not bothered by the talk.
“No, I’m focused on the next game, and the noise doesn’t bother me. I understand all the questions that you have to ask me. But my answer will remain the same. What I’m concerned about is the game tomorrow, and the three points, which for me is what is important, for my team, the players, the club. That’s the way I understand it.”
Arbeloa’s relationship with the players
Ceballos is not the only player that Arbeloa has a rocky relationship with if the reporting is to be believed. Raul Asencio and Dani Carvajal have not seen eye-to-eye with him. Arbeloa was asked if he was disappointed with some of the players.
“Of course not, I defend them publicly. I’m in their hands because of what they show me every day. That’s what a coach should do. We’ve had a pretty open relationship with most of them. Whatever needs to be resolved is between us. I will always defend them from this position.”
Explanation for poor results
In terms of an explanation for the disappointing results in recent months, Arbeloa did suggest that his side needed more battle.
“There are a lot of matches. The results are far from what Real Madrid should be achieving. You can’t beat anyone these days just by getting off the bus. We have to improve a lot, collectively. The talent we have isn’t enough to just keep the ball on the ground and play individually. We need a plan, a structure, a way to disrupt the opposition… They have a different mentality, and we’ve paid the price in points.”
Yet he rejected the idea that there was a lack of desire from the Real Madrid team.
“Those are assessments that belong in the press. We’ve dropped points against rivals we shouldn’t have conceded, and that’s what hurts the most. There are situations that are difficult to control and they happen often. We have to fight.”
