Alvaro Arbeloa spoke to the media ahead of Real Madrid’s trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Tuesday. Kiyan Sobhani of Managing Madrid asked him about Fede Valverde’s role, and whether it may get sacrificed after Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe return, to whom he replied: “Fede can play anywhere. Wherever he plays, he plays really well. I think he is playing at his best. He can score goals, he can move on the pitch, and when Bellingham and Mbappé return, we need this version of Fede.”
Arbeloa on the mindset ahead of Tuesday
“We are very aware of the difficulty of tomorrow’s match and the opponent we face. If we want to win, we can’t have anything else on our minds but to perform at a very high level, like in the first leg or even better, with solidarity, effort and sacrifice, and be able to cause them a lot of problems.”
Arbeloa on the game plan
“The same as the first leg. We have no other objective than to go out and win with the same humility and commitment as in the first leg. Even more so, because it won’t be easy. Humility and ambition are what we need to see tomorrow.”
Arbeloa on whether Real Madrid are better without Kylian Mbappé
“It’s difficult to imagine a team being competitive without the best player in the world. But that speaks volumes about how well the team is doing.”
Arbeloa on Bellingham and Mbappe’s chances of playing
“Bellingham wanted to come with his teammates, but he won’t be here tomorrow. I’m happy to see him getting closer. He’s going to be one of the leaders, and it’s important that he’s here with us. Mbappé is already available. You’ll see tomorrow.”
Arbeloa on the playing style with Mbappé
“Kylian gives us different qualities than other players like Brahim, but he’s also a player who links up well with him. He’s a very intelligent player and capable of moving into the spaces created by the opponent. I’m eager to have him on the field.”
Arbeloa on established stars
“In the two months I’ve been here, I haven’t felt like there are any established stars. There are players like Valverde, Vinicius, and Tchouameni who have earned their minutes on the pitch; they aren’t established stars. What all the youngsters from the academy are doing is performing at a very high level; they’re playing very well, which is what they know how to do. They’re very talented lads who are contributing a lot. When some players recover, I’ll have more options, and hopefully, we’ll be able to always field the most suitable eleven players.”
Arbeloa on fighting for his job in these games
“That’s the last thing on my mind right now, I don’t think about it, it doesn’t occupy my thoughts. What worries me is that tomorrow’s match continues to excite the Real Madrid fans. I’ll be here as long as I need to be and very happy until the very last day.”
Arbeloa on City not training
“I think Guardiola explained it well this morning. It’s nothing new for them. It’s the 987th match Guardiola has managed. I won’t be the one to presume to give him advice. They’re a team that knows each other very well; they play with their eyes closed because they’ve been together for so many years.”
Arbeloa on Arda Güler
“The goal against Elche was spectacular. A fantastic goal. And that duel with Haaland… We have to defend the Norwegian, and the more people the better. But I think Arda did a good job, and we’ll see if we can repeat that tomorrow.”
