At a glance
- Despite his stellar goalscoring record of 38 goals in 36 games, Kylian Mbappe is under fire at Real Madrid.
- His head coach Alvaro Arbeloa had to defend the Frenchman, at a prematch press conference to preview Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal clash against Bayern Munich.
- At 28, Mbappe is still yet to win Europe’s premier club competition.
Under-fire Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa defended star player Kylian Mbappe at a prematch press conference on Monday.
Despite scoring an astounding 38 goals in 36 games this term, Mbappe faces scrutiny for his displays such as that in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Mallorca.
Ahead of facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, reporters asked Arbeloa if the Frenchman understands the club that he joined in 2024 on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
“Mbappe knows perfectly well what Real Madrid is,” the manager answered. “He always dreamed of playing here. It’s not easy what he’s done to play here.”
On whether the number 10 unbalances his team despite impressive stats, Arbeloa said: “The only thing that matters to me is what I think, and we’re extremely lucky to have a player like Mbappe in the team. I put myself in the shoes of the defenders who have to face Madrid”.
Arbeloa praised his Real Madrid players ahead of a tough match
Batting back suggestions that his is a team of individuals, Arbeloa stressed that “to win in football you have to do a lot of things well in all phases of the game”.
“To be a great team you have to be very united and have that collective mentality. Perhaps I’m focusing on the players the most. We have the best players and we have to be the best team in the world as well. We have to put talent at the service of the team”.
Arbeloa continues to borrow from his idol Mourinho
Just like he did on Saturday post-Mallorca, Arbeloa has once again defended his players here.
These are classic deferral tactics he learned from managerial idol Jose Mourinho. They have the aim of relieving pressure, and instead putting the focus on himself.
Against Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu, there’ll already be plenty of it on Mbappe and Co. With the La Liga title slipping away, the Champions League trophy is the only one stopping them finishing two seasons without major silverware.
