Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa was pushed on whether results like Friday night’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo were convincing him that his team could fight for the title in his post-game press conference. Arbeloa responded, saying, “of course I am! There’s a long way to go: 33 points, if I’m not mistaken. At this stage, that’s almost as if it hadn’t started yet. There’s a long way to go because now, in every match, you’re going to be playing against teams that have their own objectives. And every match is going to be a battle.
Given how we came into today’s match, with ten players out, if I’m not mistaken, it’s a huge achievement. I think the players deserve a lot of credit for the match they played on a pitch like this; we all know how tough and difficult Balaídos is. Given how Celta had been playing, with the confidence they had been showing. So, of course, I’m very, very happy… above all, for the character, for the people who wanted to come, who wanted to push. Who, at a difficult time, wanted to take responsibility… and as I said yesterday, these are the moments when you see true Real Madrid players. And today I saw many of them.”
Arbeloa on what Real Madrid are playing for
“Let’s see… Here we go! I’m good with you guys! Let’s see… nothing, come on, tell me… We play to win the match, which is what Real Madrid plays for. That’s what we want and the goal we had today.”
Arbeloa on Thiago Pitarch
“You asked me about him the other day and I’ll say it again. We have to give a lot of credit to what he has done and today Thiago, once again. With his personality, his effort, his ability to press once, twice, three times in a row; how he wants the ball, how they can’t take it away from him when he’s under pressure, how he always tries to find the best option… he’s a player who touches and moves, who offers himself. We need players as dynamic as him to attack this type of defence. Players who are capable of making one, two, three, ten runs, even if they don’t get the ball. And… well, today we have to highlight the great game Thiago has played. How Palacios came on, how Manuel Ángel came on afterwards, with that steal he made, how Gonzalo came on… I think we have a youth academy that we need to value more. That we have to give a lot of credit to. That… obviously the best players in the world come here, but we have youth players of very high quality and the game they all played today is great news.”
Arbeloa on Ferland Mendy having played very little
“My fault, then… He’s coming off a long break, having not competed for many months. Obviously, we took a risk because playing 90 minutes after so long is not something that I, as a manager, like, nor is it what I would have wanted; it’s not the ideal scenario. But given how the match went, how it unfolded, I think it was necessary. Ferland Mendy’s quality… he’s a player who, since he arrived here… has always shown that whenever he’s on the pitch, it’s easier for Madrid to win. And that’s saying a lot. I’m very happy for him. Because of how he works and trains. Because he’s a guy who always has a smile on his face… and that’s not easy when you’re not playing. We need players like that. Players who want to push every day, who know how to wait for their chance. And perform as he has when he’s had it.”
Arbeloa on taking off Arda Güler again
“No, no, no… honestly, Arda, well, I don’t know if there’s any manager who has given Arda Güler more minutes than I have. I’d like to know, I have my doubts and… I don’t think so. I’ve been the manager who has trusted him the most since I arrived. I think he’s a very important player. And if I brought on Palacios, it’s because I think he was more used to playing the role that Arda was playing than he was. But I’m very happy with him, I’ve always said that. The way he works, the quality he has. And obviously… keep going, push on. Today we all won.”
Arbeloa on Thiago Pitarch being a breakthrough talent
“It’s excellent news. It’s been a long time since a youth player came up from Castilla and managed to establish himself. The last ones were Gonzalo, Asencio… and it’s always good news when an 18-year-old… well, maybe Raúl and Gonzalo were a little more mature, establishes himself in the first team. Let him play. Thiago is earning his minutes on his own. The truth is that it’s not a matter of my confidence, but of his football. And I think that, in addition, he fits in very well with what it means to be a Real Madrid player. For all the reasons I mentioned before. Because of how he plays football, because of all the work he puts in, all the effort… I think he’s a ‘Real Madrid’ player.”
Arbeloa on this victory as a turning point
“I hope so, I hope so. I hope that’s the case. For me, it’s a very important one, if only because you approach Wednesday’s game, which will be a very tough one, in a different way. And because it guides us a little bit on the path we want to follow in every game. This is what Real Madrid is all about: fighting until the end, believing, battling. I’m sure we can do a lot of things better, but the personality we showed today, the character… I hope it’s a turning point and that from here on out, everything goes much better.”
