Alvaro Arbeloa talks Mbappe, Vinicius, Valverde, Mourinho after Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica | OneFootball

Real Madrid took down Benfica by a 2-1 margin on Wednesday night to secure a place in the knockouts of the UEFA Champions League, albeit not with their best performance.

Los Blancos went down early in the game as Benfica scored and levelled the terms on aggregate.

However, they equalised just two minutes later, and Vinicius Jr. added the finishing touches in the 80th minute.

With this result, Real Madrid officially move on to the Round of 16 while Benfica stands eliminated, making it clear who had the last laugh in their heated rivalry this season.

Arbeloa’s press conference

Alvaro Arbeloa spoke to the media after his team’s win over Benfica last night and spoke on a plethora of topics, including the heated fixture and specific players.

He began, however, by praising Vinicius Jr. for his display.

Vinicius was on the scoresheet again. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“I felt joy for the great goal he scored. He deserves it and he is in great form. Without Mbappé, he is even more important.”

Elaborating on Mbappe and the French star’s current situation, he said,

“He had to leave training and on other days he has felt discomfort. We spoke with the doctors and with him, and the best thing was for him to stop.”

“He is very important and from now on we’ll have to wait. Hopefully, it’s a matter of days,” he added.

Arbeloa then admitted how not having Mbappe made matters difficult for Real Madrid on the field and how some individuals are indispensable.

“Without these absences of fundamental players, this tie becomes even more important. It strengthens the group a lot.”

“He is not feeling well and stopping is the best thing. We can call it an injury, but I hope it’s not very serious and that he can return in a few days,” he clarified when asked if it was an injury or discomfort.

“We have a diagnosis but I shouldn’t be the one to give those details. We are clear about it and what we want is for him to recover,” he added.

Real Madrid played far better in the second half last night when compared to the opening period, and Arbeloa elaborated on the same with a tinge of humour.

On the performance and scope for improvement

“Maybe my halftime talks are better than my pre-match ones. In the first leg, we had a great first half. Today they pressed us a lot.”

“It’s also a pity about Güler’s disallowed goal. We went from less to more,” he added.

Real Madrid have progressed through to the next round. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The Real Madrid manager then went on to praise Federico Valverde for his consistent displays back in midfield.

“Fede is showing the level he has and how important he is. He is an extension of me and one of the leaders. Even with discomfort he doesn’t want to stop.”

Moving forward, Arbeloa agreed with Thibaut Courtois’ words on the team still not playing well and having to move the ball faster.

“Low blocks complicate things for all teams. It doesn’t only happen to us. As he said, we have room for improvement so that our players can get the best out of themselves.”

“Also the overall idea. Almost playing with our eyes closed. I am optimistic,” he added.

On the next step

Now in the knockouts of the UEFA Champions League, the manager was asked if he had any preference for the opponent between Manchester City and Sporting CP.

“The objective was to be in the draw. People have already gotten used to a City–Real Madrid.”

“I’m sure we’ll get them again. It doesn’t matter to us, it will be difficult knowing the second leg is away from home,” he added.

He also gave credit to Sporting who are the other team Real Madrid can be drawn up against.

“If we draw them, we know the difficulty. Portuguese teams are very competitive. We’ll see what the draw brings us.”

“If we return to Lisbon, it will be special because it brings back very good memories. It will surely be a great game,” he added.

Finally, he was asked if he had met Jose Mourinho in Madrid, to which he plainly said,

“I haven’t seen him.”

Source: MARCA