Eduardo Camavinga highlighted a difference between Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa and predecessor Xabi Alonso.
Alonso was fired after losing the Spanish Super Cup final to FC Barcelona in January, and reportedly upset star players with his strict methods.
But former Los Blancos defender Arbeloa seems to be taking a softer approach.
Real Madrid entered the international break in top form as they secured five wins in five outings in all competitions. The most crucial of those was the Champions League round of 16 success over Manchester City, whom Los Blancos beat 5-1 on aggregate to set up a last eighth tie with Bayern Munich this month.
Their last match was also a key result in the La Liga title race as Los Blancos clinched a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid – a very refreshing performance against Los Colchoneros, who had comprehensively beaten Xabi Alonso’s side 5-2 at the Civitas Metropolitano earlier in the season.
A string of unacceptable results by Alonso saw him face the same fate as many of his predecessors. The midfield legend was relieved of his duties in January following the defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final and in came Alvaro Arbeloa.
Suddenly, there is newfound hope at Valdebebas, and Eduardo Camavinga revealed his pleasure at working with Arbeloa to ESPN FC during the international break.
The Frenchman highlighted how the manager has taken good care of the squad to ensure a pleasant atmosphere, even drawing comparisons with expert man-manager Carlo Ancelotti.
“Arbeloa has the same spirit as Ancelotti. He gives us a lot of freedom and talks to the players. Sometimes he comes with gifts after training… donuts, Oreos. You just have to make these kinds of players happy. When you’re happy, your feet do what they want,” Camavinga said.
Man-management the key to success at Real Madrid
Arbeloa took over a dressing room in absolute disarray after Xabi Alonso’s dismissal. There was talk that the former Bayer Leverkusen boss had essentially divided the squad, mostly with those who were not in favour of his methodologies, including key men in Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior.
Many believe Alonso’s timidity in dealing with Vini Jr’s reaction to his subsitution in El Clasico in October was the beginning of his end at Real Madrid.
Losses to Liverpool and Manchester City in the Champions League’s opening phase, and Celta Vigo and Elche in La Liga were crucial in not just influencing his future, but leading dishevelment among the players.
Arbeloa has been a breath of fresh air in the dressing room, which has started to enjoy the vibe of a few seasons back, when Ancelotti managed to strike the right balance between the whip and the wand.
Heading into the most crucial part of the season, man-management may prove to be the key to success at the world’s most successful club once more.
Aurelien Tchouameni, Camavinga and Kylian Mbappe joined training a day earlier after a trans-Atlantic trip having represented France in the United States over the last week.
Dean Huijsen was also back at the training ground for recovery work just hours after playing for Spain in a friendly – a testimony of how committed the players are to build on their club’s good form and end the season on a winning note.
Vinicius will join the setup soon and is in brilliant form like many of his teammates, having notched 10 goals in his last 11 matches in all competitions for Real. If the team is to win any silverware, his contribution on the pitch and more importantly how happy he feels will be massive factors.
🚨 BREAKING: PSG want to sign Eduardo Camavinga this summer, he is on their list of targets.
His situation at Real Madrid is complicated; he's not seen as an indispensable piece, and his departure is not ruled out.
Arbeloa has warranted a full season in charge of Real Madrid
Eduardo Camavinga’s positive words regarding Arbeloa, and especially the comparisons to Ancelotti, are a strong indicator of how the squad feels under the 43-year-old’s leadership.
Irrespective of whether or not Real Madrid win anything by May, it should be a general consensus at the club for the current man in-charge to be given a full year to ply his trade.
In less than three months at the Bernabeu, Madrid’s head coach has outclassed Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola in the Champions League and become the first ever manager to win his first four European knockout fixtures for the Whites.
He also had Diego Simeone’s number in La Liga, with a 3-2 win over Atleti in the Bernabeu ahead of the recent internationla break.
The franchise player, or one of them at least, Vinicius Junior, is at the peak of his powers whereas Mbappe’s form was brilliant as well before his injury.
Behind the scenes and eventually at the front of the queue, Federico Valverde is also playing his best football as a Real Madrid player.
Crucially, Arbeloa has done something which his predecessors spoke multiple times about but did not action – employing Castilla players in the first team, amongst whom Thiago Pitarch has already become somewhat indispensable.
Arbeloa’s trust in the players, coupled with the exponential change in the feeling surrounding the dressing room, has resulted in his man management being correctly lauded but his tactical prowess has been no less as it’s no mean feat to make as big an impact as he has done in less than 100 days.
