Real Madrid embarrasses itself in the Spanish Cup. Coach and captain don’t mince words afterwards.
Coach changes during an ongoing season in football have a clear task: a new coach is supposed to bring in fresh impetus, convey a sense of optimism, and initiate a turnaround from a negative trend. At Real Madrid, this endeavor did not succeed in the first game under the new coach. On the contrary.
“Today we have reached rock bottom. A second-division team knocked us out of the cup. Congratulations to them,” said Daniel Carvajal to the assembled journalists after the embarrassing exit from the Copa del Rey.
The Blancos failed 2:3 in the round of 16 against Albacete Balompié, the 17th-placed team in the second Spanish league. After the disaster, only captain Carvajal faced the press and didn’t mince words.
Carvajal Criticizes Teammates and Himself
“We are obviously not in our best moment. We all need to work hard now, all give much more. That is the reality. And we ask our fans for forgiveness,” said the 34-year-old: “We, and I first and foremost, are not meeting the expectations of this club. I promise that we will give our all in the next matches.”
And furthermore: “You also have to face up when you lose. You can see that all of us, every single one, are primarily responsible. And I speak for us players. If we are not at our best, these things happen. I can’t say more about that.”
Arbeloa Takes the Blame
There was no lack of self-criticism from coach Álvaro Arbeloa after the surprising exit either. The successor to the sacked Xabi Alonso took full responsibility before the press.
“If there is a culprit, someone responsible for this defeat, then it is me. I made the decisions regarding the lineup, the match plan, and the substitutions. I can only thank the players for how they welcomed me and for the effort they put in today. Now we need to recover both mentally and physically and look towards Saturday.”
And further: “At this club, even a draw counts as a tragedy, so you can imagine what it looks like with a defeat like this. That hurts, I believe all our fans feel the same, especially when it happens against a team from a lower league.”
Real lineup with surprises
Even before the game, Arbeloa had caused a surprise by not nominating superstar Jude Bellingham for the match against Albacete. He also left several other established players at home and relied on two youngsters, among others, in his starting eleven. A plan that didn’t work out.
Before the league home game against Levante next Saturday (from 2 PM in the LIVETICKER), a lot of work still awaits the 42-year-old.