“Mbappé knows perfectly what Real Madrid is and he came for games like the one against Bayern”

The Real Madrid coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, defended this Monday that the French forward Kylian Mbappé “knows perfectly” what the merengue team means, for which he signed in the summer of 2024 “for games like tomorrow”, at the same time that he indicated that a great coach is one “who manages well and makes his teams have a seal.”

“I expect a Real Madrid that has always stood up to great rivals like tomorrow’s, a Bayern that is having an exceptional season at all levels, surely the most consistent team in Europe. We face it knowing the demands, the history we have with Bayern, which for us is always special, and with a Bernabéu that is going to experience another great Champions League night like the one we experienced for example against Manchester City, I am sure it will be repeated tomorrow,” said the man from Salamanca in the preview of the quarterfinal first leg against the Germans.

For this Champions League tie for a place in the semifinals, Arbeloa made it clear that they are not thinking “about not winning the tie.” “For us there is only one possible scenario, which is to beat Bayern Munich, passing the tie is the only thing we are focused on, the only thing we believe in and want,” he said.

“The players know perfectly well the game ahead of them tomorrow. As is normal and natural, we have seen Bayern what they do on the field. We have to be prepared to know what they are going to do to us and what we are going to do to them. But they are games, a quarter-final against a team that has a great history, with a Bernabéu that is going to be very engaged. I think we are all aware,” he commented.

And he was full of praise for the Bavarian team, “a very well-worked team, who quickly see the signs of identity, all the patterns of play. They are very aggressive in the defensive phase, they mark the man, they are not afraid, they are very brave, they are very evenly matched. A forward like Harry Kane who is capable of going down to receive, of moving a team… It is a very complete team and with many weapons to hurt the rival. All the good references about Kompany are deserved, because he is doing a tremendous job,” he praised.

Again, as since Mbappé recovered from his knee discomfort, Arbeloa must find accommodation for the French forward, who “has different conditions and characteristics than Brahim (Díaz)”, his replacement until now. “We have to play in a different way, but I am delighted to have that problem, to have great players at my disposal and to have a player like Mbappé, who has come to Real Madrid for games like tomorrow,” he explained.

“I am sure that we are going to see Kylian giving his best level and leading the team as he has always known how to do. And with a lot of confidence in all the players, just like Bellingham and other great players that I have at my disposal. For me it is lucky to be able to count on everyone and not have a team with 10 or 11 casualties as we have had on many occasions,” he applauded.

“WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO BE THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD”

Thus, he insisted that “having a player like Mbappé on the team is extraordinary luck.” “I don’t know if there is any coach in the world who wouldn’t want to have him. I put myself in the shoes of the defenders who play against Real Madrid and have to face Mbappé, Vinícius, Valverde, Bellingham… They are some of the best players on the planet and they have earned it with their performance. For me it is fortunate as a coach to be able to have them,” he celebrated.

“Mbappé knows perfectly well what Real Madrid is. I have no doubt. He is a boy who has dreamed of being a Real Madrid player, we have all seen images of Mbappé wearing a Real Madrid shirt, dreaming of being a Real Madrid player. What he has done to come here has not been easy at all. I would like you to ask me this after the tie against Bayern,” asked the man from Salamanca about whether the Frenchman knows what it means to be a player for the Merengue team.

In addition, he defended that “with Bellingham on the field” they are a “better team.” “I am convinced of this and I am sure that we will see him tomorrow on the field, because he is a player who contributes a lot to us. He has different conditions than other teammates and when he is on the field we will have to know how to adapt to him as much as to the rest. It is about having those connections, those relationships between the players and putting your talent at the service of the team. It’s a blessed problem to have to fit in with Bellingham,” he expressed.

“To be a great team you have to be very united and, above all, have that collective mentality, which is what is surely having the most impact on the players. We have some of the best players in the world individually and we also have to be capable of being the best team in the world. It is very important, it is what makes the difference, but above all putting it at the service of the team,” he added.

Arbeloa also revealed that, after losing 2-1 in Mallorca, the dressing room was “more hurt because if there is a club where losing is not allowed, it is Real Madrid.” “The other day there were many hurt players, and I told them that we didn’t have time to think about what had happened, that we will have it. We had to be in tomorrow’s game. The only thing we think about is winning. We have to put all our energy into it,” he warned.

“My great obsession is to prepare my teams for what they are going to face. It is clear that it is also getting the best version of each one. In a club like this you have to understand the player very well, having a great personal connection with the players makes it much easier for them to bring out all their talent and I think you have to be a capable coach. Great coaches are those who manage well and who work well and who make their teams have a seal, so that when you see them they have a defined style,” he concluded.