Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa spoke to the media ahead of his team's Champions League match against Manchester City at the Etihad.
at the Etihad on March 17, with a chance to make the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. The Spanish side hold a 3-0 lead after the first leg, so they are the favorites to progress. Head coach Alvaro Arbeloa is expecting a tough battle against the Premier League side and knows the job is not complete despite a healthy lead.
He spoke about the opponents, while also discussing Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, who are both back in the squad after injuries.Arbeloa spoke to the media ahead of the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 game against Manchester City. Read on to know what he said (via “I want to see the same Real Madrid as in the first leg. We have no other objective than to go out and win, which is what this crest demands of us. With the same humility, commitment, and sacrifice we had in the first leg, even more because we know this stadium is not easy at all and their fans will support them a lot. We cannot go out with any mentality other than to win this game. Humility and ambition are what must be seen tomorrow.""It's hard to think that without the best player in the world, a team could be more competitive, but that speaks very well of the Real Madrid squad, of the effort many of those players are making, and of the level and quality of all of them. I'm happy that, even without having the best player in the world, people are speaking highly of how the team is doing."“Bellingham wanted to come with his teammates to be with the team. He will continue and do part of the training, but he won't be available tomorrow. I am very happy to see him getting closer and to feel his presence. It will be very important for his teammates to see him training and tomorrow before the match, at halftime, or afterward. He is a player who will be one of the leaders, and he already is. It's very important that he is here with us. Mbappé is already available, so you will see him tomorrow.""We know and are very aware of the difficulty of the match and the opponent we have in front of us. Of the players, the coach, and the stadium where we are. We cannot have anything else in mind if we want to win the match, which is the goal. We have to perform at a very high level, at our best level, as in the first leg, even more so. That is the goal: to go out and aim for that performance, that level of commitment, solidarity, effort, sacrifice, and then cause them a lot of trouble, as we were able to do in the first leg."Arbeloa: "Kylian gives us different qualities compared to other players like Brahim, but he is also a player who connects very well. If there is one thing that Mbappé has for me, it is that he is a very intelligent player. He has so many qualities, but I think one above all is his intelligence. He is a player capable of moving well into the spaces left by the opponent. As I said before, I am eager to have him on the field, to enjoy him and his goals, but also in the game, he will be a very important player.""I haven't felt in the two months I've been here that there are sacred cows. There are players, as you have seen during this time, like Valverde, Vinicius, or Tchouameni, who have earned their minutes on the field. For me, they are not sacred cows; they earn their status by their performance. They are delivering a performance beyond doubt, as you can see for yourselves. Every player earns their minutes on the pitch.""What the academy boys are doing is delivering a very high level; not only in terms of commitment, effort, and dedication. They are playing really well, which is what they know how to do, in addition to having a great identity of knowing what Real Madrid is. They are boys with a lot of talent who are contributing and helping a lot. When players recover, I will have many more options. My idea is always that, with so many options, so many players, and so many matches, I hope we can always have the eleven most suitable players on the field.""It's the last thing that worries me right now, but I neither think about it nor does it worry me. All that matters to me is tomorrow's match. All I want is for the players to perform as they have in the last matches and for the madridismo to be excited, as I believe it is now thanks to the effort and commitment of the players. That is the most important thing: Real Madrid. The time I spend in this chair doesn't worry me. I'm coaching as if I've been here for 15 years and have another 15 ahead of me. I will be here for as long as I have to be, with great enthusiasm and very happy until the last day.": "Fede can play in any position. He plays well everywhere. He is at his best level and is scoring. He does have that freedom of movement, and when Jude and Kylian return, we need to continue with this version of Fede.""Guardiola explained it well this morning. It's not something new for them; they've done it several times this season and it has even worked out well for them. The other day I heard that against Madrid, it was Pep Guardiola's 987th match as a coach, so I won't be the one daring to give him advice. It's a team that can practically play with their eyes closed. They know each other very well and have been together for many years. I don't think the fact that they are not training today will change much in tomorrow's result.""First, that goal he scored against Elche was spectacular, a very difficult goal to score. In that duel with Haaland, we have to defend him, and the more people, the better. He is very tall, but I think Arda did a very good job, and we'll have to see tomorrow if we repeat that."Jordan Merritt is a staff writer for Real Madrid On SI. Before joining On SI, he wrote at Fansided, covering Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball. He has also written for YardBarker, Heavy Sports, and the official EFL site. Merritt is a big sports fan, spending most of his weekends watching Soccer, the NFL, the NBA, college football/basketball, and others. Before starting his career as a freelance writer, Merritt was an Engineer for over 10 years. He lives in West Yorkshire, England, and is keenly interested in sports trading cards.
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