Arbeloa Talks About Mbappe, His Decisions, and the Fans' Whistles

Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa appeared at a press conference following the 2-0 victory over Oviedo in the 36th round of the Spanish La Liga, in the match held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Arbeloa commented on Kylian Mbappe's statements: "I wish I had four forwards, I don't know what to say, I didn't say that phrase, maybe there was a misunderstanding."

He added: "I had a conversation with him before the match, and I don't know how he interpreted it. For me, it's very clear; a player who couldn't even be on the bench four days ago shouldn't have started today. Moreover, Gonzalo did a great job in the last match, and we also have a game next Sunday, where Mbappe will be the first striker as I told him, and after seven days, he will certainly return to being the first striker again."

He continued: "Any player who doesn't participate won't be happy, and that's natural, but my decisions are based on the team's circumstances, and I didn't want to take a risk with him."

Regarding Mbappe's comments about the team losing its style during the season: "If you want, you can present Mbappe's statements and discuss them, but it's natural for a player to see it that way, especially since his scoring numbers differed between the first and second halves of the season."

He emphasized: "A player who wasn't ready four days ago cannot start as a main player, but he will be a starter in the next match, and there are other players who deserved to participate today."

He continued: "I understand that all the players who didn't start today are not happy, and this happens to me every day. But as long as I am sitting in this chair, I am the one who decides who plays and who doesn't, and I don't care what their names are. They should accept that, and if they don't like it, they should wait for the next match."

Regarding the boos from the fans, he said, "I always ask for the fans' support for the players."

Regarding Vinicius Junior also being booed, he added: "These are important players for the club, and when they regain their form, the applause will return."

Regarding his disagreement with Mbappe: "This is clear... but this hasn't happened to me only during these four months with Kylian, as it did today, but certainly with other players more than you might imagine. These are situations that also occurred due to circumstances, because my circumstances were definitely different from those of other coaches at the club. I am very calm, and my conscience is completely at ease. I will continue until the end to do what I see as best. It seems great to me that players show their dissatisfaction and that they disagree with my decisions. This doesn't bother me, and I will continue to do what I see fit until the last day."

He added, "I don't expect my players to do what I did for them. I know how players are, and even though I'm now in this seat as a coach, I believe one never stops being a football player. I know how they think, and I know how they feel, especially players at this level, with this ambition, and certainly with their big egos. Based on that, I am able to understand everything, and I wouldn't change anything I've done or said, nor the defense I've offered for each one of them."

He concluded: "I believe what is happening is the accumulation of a bad year with another season without winning titles, which makes the situation more difficult and these matches more complicated, making everything harder than we all wish. But as I said yesterday, I think we have a very big responsibility. We have to go to Seville where it will be a very tough match and we will try to win it, and the last match will be in front of our fans; they deserve our effort and for us to give our best until the end."