Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa spoke to the media after the final whistle of a painful 2-0 Clásico defeat to Barcelona which saw the Catalans seal the La Liga title. “There isn’t much we can say; we understand the frustration and disappointment with this season,” he said when asked for a message for fans. “We need to look at what we’ve done wrong. Real Madrid have bounced back many times. We understand the anger, we’re angry too.”
Arbeloa on Bellingham’s elbow
“From what we could see, it was clear. We should probably ask why
VAR didn’t intervene. Congratulations to Barça on the title; they took the lead very early on.”
Arbeloa on whether Mbappé will play again this season
“I don’t know. We’ll see how his injury progresses.”
Arbeloa on whether he would’ve liked Mbappé to travel with the squad
“I would have liked him to have been fit and to have played.”Arbeloa on a message to the fans
Arbeloa on the three remaining fixtures
“We can’t let these three games slip away. We’re defending something bigger than ourselves or our prestige, we’re defending this crest.”
Arbeloa on the game
“It became an uphill battle too early on. They’re very good once they take the lead. It’s a well-drilled team. I asked them to give it their all until the end, regardless of the score.”
Arbeloa on whether the team needs a rebuild
“We have a great squad that can be made to perform at a high level. We have players that any team in Europe would want; all that’s left is to think about the future.”
Arbeloa on the foundations for next season
“That’s not something for me to analyze. We need to collectively take a step forward. Have a clear vision, learn that we’ve dropped too many points in games we shouldn’t have. That they slipped away. You can lose to Barcelona, that can happen, but we dropped too many points in games we shouldn’t have.”
Arbeloa on Huijsen dropping out of the lineup with flu
“He wanted to play. But he was feeling weak, and it was my decision. We needed energy, so I decided to start Raúl in his place.”
