‘We’ve hit rock bottom spectacularly’ – Real Madrid star after Albacete disaster | OneFootball

Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal has declared that his side have hit rock bottom, following a Copa del Rey upset at the hands of Albacete on Wednesday night. Twice Los Blancos came from behind, scoring from set-pieces, but conceded the winner in the last minute of the game to Jefte Betancour.

It makes it two costly defeats in the space of four days, with Xabi Alonso being dismissed between them. The first saw the Spanish Supercup head home from Saudi Arabia with rivals Barcelona, and most expected a reaction after Alvaro Arbeloa was appointed as his replacement. Real Madrid will now have to focus their efforts on La Liga and the Champions League, after exiting the Copa del Rey.

‘We’ve hit rock bottom’ – Dani Carvajal

After the game, it was left to Carvajal to speak to the media.

“We’ve hit rock bottom spectacularly. We have to face the music even when we lose, and that’s what we have to do now. We, the players, are ultimately responsible. There’s little more I can say,” he told Diario AS.

Image via Diario AS

‘It’s time to be self-critical’ – Carvajal

Asked what it was that Real Madrid were missing in the match, Carvajal did not have a clear diagnosis.

“If I knew, we wouldn’t have lost. You don’t have to be a genius to figure that out. We’ve hit rock bottom; we were knocked out by a Segunda team. Congratulations [to them]. Starting tomorrow, it’s time for self-criticism. We have two fantastic competitions and we’re going to fight for everything.”

“The message is… that the team isn’t at its best, obviously; we have to work hard and we have to give much more. That’s the reality. And that’s the message. Go for it all. We apologise to the fans. We aren’t, myself included, living up to the expectations of this club, and we’ll give our all in the coming months to turn things around.”

Arbeloa takes responsibility for loss

While Carvajal noted that the players were not living up to expectations, Arbeloa said he was the first one responsible for their Copa del Rey exit. The new Real Madrid manager did point to the lack of physical condition of the players as an aggravating factor.