Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa appeared at a press conference following the 2-1 loss to Osasuna in the 25th round of the Spanish League competition.

The coach said in his discussion about replacing Valverde: "Valverde puts in a lot of effort in many consecutive matches and is experiencing slight pain. He felt what he was going through in the past few weeks. Whether it was right or wrong, I preferred not to take risks with Valverde. After the goal, the decision was primarily based on not wanting to expose him to injury."

He added: "From what I saw, I think there might have been a mistake before that game. There were two very close offside calls, and unfortunately for us, they were counted against us. I don't think we played a good match. Osasuna played in their usual style and scored two goals from just two shots on target. We can perform better, and our level is much higher. We have to play much better and with more enthusiasm. We know it's not easy to achieve that on Wednesdays and Sundays, but that's what's expected of us; this is Real Madrid. We know that all away games are very difficult. I was fully aware of how tough it is to come to this stadium."

He emphasized: No one likes losing, and we are the first among them, but we are not discouraged at all. Yesterday, I said that the journey would be long and that the season hasn't really started yet. Even if this is an exaggeration, I still believe we have a long way to go. We controlled the game at times in the first half, but we lack speed in our play against any compact defense. Either we pass the ball faster or they will defend very easily. This is something we need to keep improving and working on. We must be able to attack from both wings. Currently, we focus too much on the left wing, and we need to be able to do that on the other side, otherwise, we will be easy to defend against. We have to work hard because we have another important match on Wednesday."

He continued: "I didn't say we were too slow. In the first half, besides the lack of control, we lacked the ability to move the ball faster and create more dangerous opportunities. It's about knowing what we need to do and what we want to provoke in our opponents. We have to keep working on that in every match, analyzing our strengths and weaknesses. We still have many matches ahead, and we have ample room for improvement. When you're not fully prepared, any team can beat you. We are aware of that. Every away game will be very tough; our opponents prepare intensively for the matches and give their best against us. We have to do the same."

He continued: "You must always match your opponent's level. It's true that we haven't yet managed to achieve four or five consecutive matches with strong and good performance, but we were coming off three very important victories against strong teams, and we delivered a great performance. However, it's not just about three victories; we must focus on each day individually. With the pressures we face and the competitiveness of the league, we cannot stop at the fourth match. This is what we strive for."

Regarding Kylian Mbappe's situation: "He rested last weekend, if I'm not mistaken. He didn't play against Real Sociedad, which is a very strong team. When we think he's not ready to play, we won't take risks. This is not a decision I make alone; I discuss it with the doctors and with Mbappe himself, and when he feels ready to play, we play."

He concluded: "I hope this defeat doesn't affect us too much, as we have another crucial match in four days. We know we have many games ahead in the league, and winning all of them will be difficult. The team shows its strength when facing challenges, and there's no room for doubt; I still have complete confidence in my players and the work they are doing. We must maintain this level of performance, and this is what we must continue to work on. We will try to bring out the best in all the players because we will need all of them."