Real Madrid fans will support team despite UCL blow – Arbeloa

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said he doesn’t expect the team’s fans to voice their disapproval as they return to LaLiga action on Sunday, after the side dropped out of the Champions League top eight in midweek after another disappointing defeat.

Madrid lost 4-2 at Benfica on Wednesday — with keeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring a 98th-minute header — to slip to ninth place in the UCL table, meaning they now face a playoff against the same opponent in February to reach the round of 16.

The Bernabeu crowd whistled the team earlier this month after the sacking of Arbeloa’s predecessor, Xabi Alonso, was followed by their elimination from the Copa del Rey, but the side’s form had improved before this latest setback.

“No, I expect the Bernabeu to be with the team,” Arbeloa said in a news conference on Saturday ahead of Madrid’s game with Rayo Vallecano, when asked if he was bracing himself for a hostile reception. “We know we need the fans. I always ask for their support, because together we’re stronger. Our aim is to win on Sunday and keep fighting for the league.”

Arbeloa’s reign so far has seen Madrid knocked out of the Copa del Rey, followed by back-to-back LaLiga wins against Levante and Villarreal, and then Wednesday’s loss at Benfica.

Star players Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham were outspoken in their assessment of that display, with Bellingham calling the performance “horrible” and Mbappé saying the result was “not about quality or tactics, but desire.”

“We’re working on finding the consistency we need,” Arbeloa said on Saturday. “It isn’t time for disillusionment or for euphoria. It’s time to work, that’s all… Regret is a dead end. When things don’t go well, you have to improve. That’s my path as coach. For sure, I’ll make a lot of mistakes.”

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Stars Vinícius Júnior and Bellingham were both singled out with whistles from the crowd during the Levante game, but Arbeloa has repeatedly backed his key players to deliver this season.

“I understand all the footballing debates, but I always want to have the best players on the pitch,” he said. “The more minutes they can get the better … They’re players who are able to open up a game in any moment.

“People who aren’t Madrid fans won’t want them there, but I imagine Madrid fans want their best players to be always available and on the pitch.”

Despite their struggles, Madrid begin the weekend just a point behind leaders Barcelona in the LaLiga table, with Barça visiting Elche on Saturday.