After the departure of head coach Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid is opting for an internal solution. Álvaro Arbeloa has earned a good reputation at the club as a promising coach. However, another factor is said to be important to the almighty Florentino Pérez.
After just 232 days, Xabi Alonso’s tenure as Real Madrid’s head coach is already history. The Spanish top club announced the bombshell on Monday evening via a press release in the middle of the season.
Eight minutes later, the Whites followed up with a second announcement, stating that former professional Álvaro Arbeloa, who most recently coached the second team and once played alongside Alonso, would take over the star ensemble.
Álvaro Arbeloa is the new man on the sidelines for Real Madrid
Ironically, it was just over a month ago that Alonso publicly outlined this very scenario. “I believe that Álvaro could become Real Madrid’s coach in the future. I think he’s doing a very good job,” the 44-year-old emphasized at a press conference then about his close friend and long-time companion.
Real Madrid: Alonso’s prediction comes true
That the scenario described by Alonso would already occur in mid-January – just over half a year after his own inauguration – Alonso could hardly have expected at that time.
However, the move was not entirely surprising upon closer inspection. Behind the scenes, unrest and tensions had been building at Real for weeks. The club finally adopted the view that a separation from the former Leverkusen title-winning coach was the most sensitive solution for both sides.
With Arbeloa, Real is once again relying on an internal solution. Unlike Alonso, who took the detour via Real Sociedad and Bayer Leverkusen, the 42-year-old is promoted directly from within the club’s own ranks. President Florentino Pérez hopes for a similar effect as with Zinedine Zidane.
Will Arbeloa follow Zidane’s path?
After his active career at Real, the French superstar first served as coach of the second team before leading Toni Kroos and Co. to three consecutive Champions League titles starting in 2016.
Marca promptly christened Arbeloa as the “new Zidane.” After all, the former full-back, who became a World and European champion with Spain alongside Alonso, has made a significant impact in the Royal’s youth sector since 2020.
In total, Arbeloa achieved 151 victories in 200 games as a youth and B-team coach, calculates the sports newspaper AS . However, he only took over Real’s second team last summer, parallel to Alonso’s appointment to the senior team.
Modern coach with a close relationship to Mourinho
Within the club’s environment, Arbeloa is seen as a modern coach. Among other things, he stands out for his progressive approach, such as the use of drones for training recordings.
Arbeloa was decisively shaped by José Mourinho, who is known more for defensive stability than for offensive spectacle. As a player, he maintained a close relationship with the then Real coach.
Mourinho’s words at Arbeloa’s farewell in 2016 also illustrated this: “I have nothing but words of thanks for Arbeloa. In my 16 years as a coach, he is certainly on the podium of the most important players I have worked with.”
Experience at Real as an advantage?
His proximity to several current professionals and his experience as a former player for the Whites are also considered major advantages in Arbeloa’s new role as head coach.
“He knows the club very well because he has been part of the institution for years,” Real icon Jorge Valdano said hopefully on Movistar . The Argentine also sees his connection to Alonso as an advantage: “He knows Xabi, so he is certainly very well informed about everything that happens in the first team.”
Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa also played together in the Spanish national team
The decisive difference to Alonso, however, lies in the relationship with Real’s president. According to Sport , Alonso’s reputation as a “technocratic coach with very strong tactical ideas that stood above the players” caused discontent with Florentino Pérez.
Alonso’s daily dealings with the big stars, as well as alleged internal tensions and disagreements – including with Vinícius, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde – are said to have displeased the boss.
Just a “puppet” of Real President Pérez?
Arbeloa, on the other hand, is described by Sport as “a ‘puppet’ in the hands of Florentino Pérez.” Pérez is said to be convinced that the new coach will follow his directives, give the stars greater freedom, and save him internal conflicts. Large tactical experiments that could cause instability are therefore not expected under Arbeloa.
In any case, the public discussions about a “difficult” dressing room leave the Spaniard cold. “That’s nothing that particularly worries me,” Arbeloa explained at his inaugural press conference: “We have a squad with great players, all of whom are very nice guys. Nobody is more interested in winning titles than the players themselves.”
However, one thing is clear: the task will not be easy. Arbeloa has no prior experience as a coach in elite football, while Real is in the middle of a season characterized by a lack of continuity and an increasingly negative dynamic.
Manageable tasks for the start of his tenure
In addition to the recent defeat in the Supercup against Barcelona, Real is four points behind their big rival in the league. Furthermore, as seventh in the table, they face the threat of playoffs in the Champions League.
Nevertheless, the start seems favorable on paper for the new head coach. On Wednesday evening, the first test awaits in the cup: In the round of 16, they will play away against Balompié Albacete, currently 17th in the second division.
On Saturday, Arbeloa’s team will then host second-to-last placed UD Levante at the Bernabéu, before AS Monaco visits in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Arbeloa: “As long as Madrid wants me”
However, Arbeloa can hardly afford a slip-up in the first few games, otherwise the newly kindled hopes in Madrid could disappear just as quickly.
Regardless, Alonso’s successor does not see himself as an interim solution: “I have been here for 20 years and will stay as long as Madrid wants me. Here I am at home; that’s how I feel.”