Arbeloa asks fans to support under-fire Madrid
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Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa called on fans at the Bernabéu to support his under-fire team ahead of their LaLiga game against Levante on Saturday, while confirming that star forward Kylian Mbappé is set to be available for selection.
Arbeloa took charge of the team on Tuesday — replacing Xabi Alonso — and suffered his first defeat as coach just a day later as Madrid were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by second-tier Albacete.
Mbappé was absent for that match, while a knee sprain also limited his participation in Madrid’s defeat in the Spanish Supercopa final loss to Barcelona last weekend which preceded Alonso’s dismissal.
“I respect the opinion of the Bernabéu a lot,” Arbeloa said in a news conference on Friday, when asked if he was worried about a hostile reception for the team after back-to-back defeats.
“I understand Madrid fans are hurt and upset with us. But I ask for their support for the players … I ask the fans that despite the disappointment they feel, they’re on our side.”
Despite a difficult first half of the season under Alonso, Madrid are still just four points behind leaders Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga table.
Top scorer Mbappé has missed three of Madrid’s four games so far in 2026, only featuring for a subdued 15 minutes in the Supercopa final, after being diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee.
“He’s better, and he’ll be in the squad,” Arbeloa said on Friday.
The new coach clarified comments he made after the Albacete loss, when he said his team have “a big margin to improve physically,” which was interpreted by some as a criticism of his predecessor — and his personal friend — Alonso.
“If someone wants to take my words as criticism for Xabi and his staff, they won’t find that here, they’re mistaken,” Arbeloa said.
“What happened in Albacete was a lack of a lot of things — ideas, football, fitness — and I’m the one responsible.”
After his squad selection for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey tie also came under scrutiny, Arbeloa insisted that key players who were omitted — including Jude Bellingham, as well as Mbappé — had not been at his disposal.
“The squad was the players who were available,” Arbeloa said. “Those who stayed behind either couldn’t play, or there was a risk of injury … They couldn’t be there, it’s not that they didn’t want to come.”
This post was originally published at ESPN
