Alvaro Arbeloa held his first LaLiga press conference and instantly faced questions about his Real Madrid predecessor.
Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso ahead of a 3-2 Copa del Rey defeat to Albacete and post-match cited his team’s conditioning as a reason for the defeat.
He also said things would get better with the return of Antonio Pintus, a fitness coach Alonso reportedly clashed with Florentino Perez over re-hiring.
Arbeloa was called out for his comments by a number of pundits, and he’s now responded ahead of his first league match against Levante.
“I’m not unaware of everything that’s being said, and obviously, if anyone wants my words to be a criticism of Xabi, they’re not going to find them, they’ll be very wrong,” he said.
“What happened in Albacete was a lack of ideas, of play, of fitness… of many things for which I am responsible.
“There will only be one person responsible, and that’s the Real Madrid coach. With Antonio Pintus, we will work to get the players back to their best in every aspect.”
Another tough subject for Arbeloa was his lack of movement on the touchline in defeat, with many interpreting it as a lack of ideas.
“At Castilla I don’t even have to raise my voice to be heard,” he responded.
“Here, in a stadium that’s constantly buzzing with cheers, it’s hard for them to hear me. It’s difficult for a player on the other side to hear you.
“My main job is to talk to them during the week and make sure they’re very clear about what I expect from them.
“Obviously, we’ll have to make adjustments and we’ll have to communicate. But I always try to stay calm and keep a cool head when making decisions.
“The fact that they can’t hear me… that’s something I miss.”
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