Ex-Real Madrid manager reflects on team’s improvement under Arbeloa: ‘Don’t know what happened with Alonso’

Real Madrid’s performances have seen a serious turnaround since the managerial change – something surprising given how lost they looked just a month ago.

Xabi Alonso’s ideas and tactical overload, needless to say, did not suit Los Blancos or the profiles in the dressing room as well as Arbeloa’s practical approach is paying off.

After all, the new manager has repeatedly emphasised how Real Madrid is a club built on individual brilliance and counter-attacks and how changing that basic philosophy would not work out.

Former manager speaks

Former Real Madrid player and manager Jorge Valdano recently expressed his shock at the team’s sudden turnaround, and how it was unnatural for a team to show drastic improvement in such a short time under normal circumstances.

“We are not going to believe that Real Madrid’s good physical condition against Villarreal was achieved in a week of work, there is no scientific support,” he said.

When asked what was wrong at the club and how Alvaro Arbeloa had triggered such an improvement in a team that looked lost under Xabi Alonso, he said,

“What’s wrong? I think Arbeloa is working very well with the confidence of his players, the motivation with which they played against Villarreal has been tremendous. With a total connection in the game, from minute 1 to 90.”

Real Madrid have shown improvements under Arbeloa. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“Something that didn’t happen with Xabi Alonso. With Xabi, they came out of the locker room with a long lesson learned.

“For 20 or 25 minutes it seemed that the players responded to the coach’s orders, and then the team was struggling and distracted – and ended up completing poor matches.”

Valdano then praised the Merengues for the performance they dished out against Villarreal and how they won quite comfortably even without much contribution from Thibaut Courtois.

“Against Villarreal, it was a very rich match. It is true that they won again thanks to the goals of the best striker in the world  Mbappe, but they did not need the best goalkeeper in the world to win.”

“Real Madrid was very convincing and is working very well on the confidence of the players,” he added.

Finally, the former Real Madrid player praised Arbeloa and questioned Alonso’s methods for the polar difference in the team’s quality.

“If there is more commitment with Arbeloa? The players are more comfortable. I don’t know what happened with Xabi Alonso, but something happened.”

“I think Arbeloa is reading well what happened and is correcting it,” he added.

Source: SPORT