Real Madrid coach downplays Frenchman’s getaway with his girlfriend to Sardinia, but leaves a message about commitment.
Kylian Mbappe was left out of the Espanyol=Real Madrid match due to injury, but he was the main topic at Alvaro Arbeloa’s press conference after Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory on Sunday .
The French forward took advantage of the last few days to spend a holiday in Sardinia with his girlfriend, actress Exer Esposito, which prompted considerable criticism from Madrid fans and, according to the Spanish press, created unease within the club.
All planning for injured players is overseen and managed by Real Madrid’s medical team, who control when they should go to Valdebebas [training center] and when they shouldn’t. And from there, each player, in their free time, does what they think is best. I can’t interfere with that, said Arbeloa after the game, when questioned about Mbappe landing in Madrid just 12 minutes before kickoff.
I have no doubt about the commitment of any of my players. I think they all know how important these games are for us. When you wear the Real Madrid shirt, when you’re here, you understand the demands of this club. Fortunately, there never has been, there isn’t, and there never will be a bigger club than Real Madrid. And I think all my players understand that perfectly. What they represent, where they are, and how important that is. And how lucky they all are… how lucky we all are to be at Real Madrid.
Vinicius Junior scored both of Real Madrid’s goals, but Arbeloa didn’t want to compare the Brazilian’s commitment to Mbappe’s. Even so, he left a strong message.
I don’t make comparisons between players. I think we need everyone. I’ve been saying this since I took on this role: to win any game, you need the commitment of every player. I often tell them that it hurts when we see that all the other teams run more than we do. And not just when we don’t have the ball, but it’s also something we need to focus on even when we do have it. We need to be a much more mobile team, make many more movements without the ball… which is uncomfortable, because to recover a ball you need to do ten sprints. But we need the commitment of every player to press, defend, attack. I think that, currently, if you want to be a very complete team, one that opponents find difficult to beat… talent alone isn’t enough, he stressed.
I like to see when players understand not only that commitment is important, but that they embody the values of Real Madrid. When we talk about what Real Madrid is and how it was built… We didn’t create Real Madrid with players who go onto the pitch in suits, but with players who end up with their shirts covered in sweat, mud, effort, sacrifice, and perseverance. Because this club attracts the best players in the world, and when they understand what Real Madrid is, what its values are, what made it great, talent unites with commitment and effort. And that’s what makes us the best team in the world. But, above all, it’s about who we are and how we built the history of Real Madrid, he concluded.