New Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa hasn’t had the best reviews ahead of replacing Xabi Alonso.
The former defender earned his promotion from Madrid’s B-team after Alonso was sacked for a Supercopa final defeat to Barcelona.
The move may seem bold given he has no senior coaching experience, but leading Cadena SER journalist Antonio Romero explained why he’s trusted by president Florentino Perez.
The pundit called Arbeloa a ‘spoiled brat’ and said that he chose Jose Mourinho over his teammates as a player as he knew it would impress president Florentino Perez – and it worked.
“Alvaro Arbeloa is undoubtedly the most promoted youth team coach in Real Madrid’s recent history,” he said.
“There are reasons for this, some of which can be explained and others that are not relevant now, but which everyone close to the Real Madrid dressing room knows.
“Arbeloa is a guy who, during Mourinho’s time, abandoned many of his teammates in the dressing room to curry favour with that manager, who was a favourite at the club.
“Since then, he’s become a darling of the Real Madrid president, the staff, and a segment of the Real Madrid fanbase.
“It all stems from his past assuring Mourinho and abandoning several key teammates in the dressing room.”
Romero went on to say that Arbeloa’s reputation in the youth team has been inflated due to his actions as a player.
“His quality as a coach remains to be seen at the highest level,” he continued. “It’s clear he knows his football and has the potential to be a top-level manager.
“It’s also clear that every time he loses a match with Castilla—who, by the way, have been given a fantastic team, something they didn’t do with Raúl—it’s a brief but memorable event, while every time he wins, it’s celebrated like a Champions League victory. Nothing is a coincidence.
“Whether he becomes a top-level coach or not, Arbeloa’s greatest strength at the club, for now, has been his interpersonal skills with the club’s management.”
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