Real Madrid head coach spoke to the media after his team lost to Getafe at the Bernabeu on Monday night. He was asked about how bleak things are and whose responsibility the loss is, to which he said: “We have 36 points left to play for, and our goal is to get them. I know things look very bleak; there’s not much hope when you lose like this. But we have a very difficult match in Vigo. But I won’t criticise my players’ effort. Is it my responsibility? Of course it is. It’s true we created chances
to score. It’s also true that we can play better. I know that if anyone is responsible for the defeat, it’s me, and I accept that.”
Arbeloa on the game
“We had clearer chances than Getafe. It’s a game where we can do things better. But we had clearer chances than them, and we had Vini’s, Rüdiger’s, Rodrygo’s… Several chances where we deserved a goal. And football isn’t about deserving. We knew the kind of game we were facing. And for me, that’s the takeaway.”
Arbeloa on the league title
“No, there are 36 points left to play for. And our only goal is to get them. Nobody’s going to throw in the towel. It’s a gap we think we can close. It’s Real Madrid, and nobody’s going to give up.”
Arbeloa on whether they have the right tools
“Yes, we have great players, a great squad. Players who will recover. The goal is to do things better on the pitch. I understand the criticism, but having played poorly, worse, or just okay, we deserved to score. They scored a great goal, and we didn’t take advantage of our chances.”
Arbeloa on the two league defeats
“The matches in Pamplona and today’s were different. We faced an opponent that defended very well, and we should have been more aggressive in the first line of attack, on both wings. We always tend to look for that easy option, which is Vinicius, but we need width on both flanks. We have to correct that and improve. We’ve talked about it a lot, about the difficulty of attacking deep defensive lines. The referee allowed this game to go on, with many stoppages and fouls. I have no criticism of them, because they do what the referee allows.”
Arbeloa on his changes
“With Dean’s substitution, we were looking to be more aggressive with the center-backs’ dribbling. With Carvajal’s, we wanted more width and attacking threat down the flanks. And Rodrygo, because he can create a lot even in tight spaces. I understand the boos when Thiago was substituted. The personality he showed again is something to be happy about on the pitch. He deserved the ovation, and I accept and understand the boos when he was substituted.”
Arbeloa on whether he misses Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe after losses like this
“When you lose, you always remember those players, but we have enough quality to win matches. I won’t make excuses.”
Arbeloa on the bookings
“These things shouldn’t happen. I understand that Mastantuono was sent off for a reason. And I understand that Huijsen and Carreras didn’t seek out their yellow cards.”
