Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Spanish and has been translated
Alvaro Arbeloa has never coached a first-team match in his career, but he replaces real Madrid as a bench xabi alonso’s successor Following his success in the club’s youth academy. East Madrid and spain The defender was in charge of the club’s B team, Castilla, until Monday and took up the post following the sacking of Alonso with the support of club president Florentino Pérez.
Multiple sources have told ESPN that Arbeloa has not completely convinced the Madrid board due to his lack of experience at the elite level, but he has the support of the president. Other candidates such as Santiago Solari, Zinedine Zidane and Jurgen Klopp were also linked, but Arbeloa was the leading candidate to replace Alonso following the defeat. barcelona In the Supercopa.
The 42-year-old has a great relationship with Perez and is highly respected within the club. four points behind Madrid LaLiga Barcelona leaders at the midpoint of the season, Madrid are confident in Arbeloa’s personality and ability to change the team situation, starting on Wednesday copa del rey Trip to the round-of-16 albasite (Stream live in the US on ESPN+ at 3PM ET).
– Real Madrid fire Xabi Alonso after 233 days Where did it all go wrong?
– Alonso wasn’t perfect, but sacking him ignores Madrid’s real problems
– How Alonso’s Madrid tenure compares to that of Mourinho, Ancelotti, Zidane
What type of coach is Arbeloa?
Arbeloa is known as a courageous, active coach who favors attacking football. He usually plays in a 4–3–3 formation with a defensive pivot and two midfielders who are skilled with the ball and have good vision.
What has most distinguished Arbeloa during his years?t la fabricaThe club’s academy has been their commitment to young talent. He is not concerned about the age or track record of his players and an example of this is the midfielder Thiago Pitarch. When he was barely playing for the Juvenile C team, Arbeloa promoted him to the Juvenile A team, and quickly recognized his quality.
Arbeloa, who worked through Madrid’s reserve teams at the start of his playing career between 2002–2005, exudes personality and competitive spirit, which he can partly attribute to the influence of former coach José Mourinho. He is not afraid to speak his mind on the field or in news conferences. Those who know him best highlight his ability to convince players and connect with the dressing room, which will be vital for the first team.
What has Arbeloa achieved?
Arbeloa’s greatest success in Real Madrid’s youth academy was leading the Juvenile A class of 2004 in which Nico Paz, gonzalo garcia, Cesar Palacios, Jacobo Ramon And manuel angel brightened up. He managed to win the league, cup and Copa de Campeones by playing exceptional football.
They have achieved 151 wins in 200 games la fabrica And has left his mark with his character and his interventionist approach. This season with Castilla has been good and leaves the Madrid reserve team in fourth place in the third-tier Primera Federación.
mourinho’s deep influence
Mourinho is the one for whom Arbeloa has played the most. He played under the Portuguese coach in the first team between 2010 and 2013, returning to the Bernabéu after being relegated. liverpool by his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini a year earlier. In total, Arbeloa played 122 games in all competitions under Mourinho, winning one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey.
The impact of Mourinho’s methods on Arbeloa extended beyond the playing field. Speaking to El Chiringuito in 2017, the former defender admitted that he wanted to apply what he learned from “The Special One” to all aspects of his life: “I try to be likeMorinhista‘As much as possible. It’s a way of knowing how to do things, always moving forward, not being afraid to be who you are.”
Arbeloa will come up against Mourinho in a few weeks when Madrid visit Benfica in the Champions League on January 28. Speaking at his first press conference as Madrid coach on Tuesday, he said: “I haven’t spoken to Jose yet. It was a privilege and an honor for me to be coached by Jose Mourinho, he influenced me a lot. I will be Arbeloa. I’m not afraid of failure, but if I tried to be Jose Mourinho, I’m sure I would fail spectacularly.”
What other coaches has Arbeloa worked under?
Mourinho is undoubtedly the most influential coach in the former defender’s career, but he is not the only coach who had an impact on his career. Arbeloa played 98 games under Rafa Benitez in two and a half years at Liverpool, where he established himself at the top level, as well as making another six appearances for his former Anfield boss while in charge of Real Madrid in 2015–16.
Arbeloa got a competitive edge from playing in Premier LeagueIn the mid-2000s, an extremely physical league undoubtedly affected the preparation of its players. armory During the time of manager Mikel Arteta everton During the same period.
Meanwhile, at Real Madrid, he was coached by Carlo Ancelotti during the Italian’s first spell in charge between 2013–2015, playing 65 times in a period that marked the club’s 10th-place finish. uefa champions league Triumphant. He was also an ideal player for Pellegrini, the coach who brought him back to the club where he trained and who brought him on the field 38 times. To a lesser extent, his other coaches at Real Madrid include Mariano García Ramón (two games, giving him his first-team debut in 2004–05), Vanderlei Luxembourg (two games), and Zinedine Zidane (three games).
Another notable figure in Arbeloa’s career is Joaquin Caparros, who was the first coach who took a chance on him when he could not find a place among the Real Madrid stars and decided to move him to Deportivo La Coruña in 2006. There he played 21 games, attracting the attention of Liverpool. And at the end of his career, West HamArbeloa coincided with Slaven Bilic, who managed them on only four occasions before retiring in 2017.
Three years later, Arbeloa returned to Madrid to coach the club’s U14 Infantil A team in 2020. Now, after a steady rise through the ranks, he is the coach of the first team.
