Arbeloa adopts completely opposite approach to Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid | OneFootball

Real Madrid were able to bounce back to winning ways thanks to a narrow 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano that helped Los Blancos keep pressure on Barcelona in the title fight.

New coach Alvaro Arbeloa has played a key role in helping Real Madrid regain their momentum in La Liga, with the Spaniard notably retaining 100% winning record in the league.

Arbeloa has seemingly managed to bring some semblance of cohesion in the Real Madrid ranks, and the players have looked far more confident.

A complete pivot from Xabi Alonso

As reported by Cadena SER, Arbeloa has intentionally chosen a leadership style that is the polar opposite of Xabi Alonso’s tenure.

While Alonso’s time was marked by a perceived distance between the manager and the squad, Arbeloa has prioritised proximity.

For instance, the new coach greets every player individually before matches, a gesture that has earned him affectionately ironic nicknames from the squad.

Arbeloa is not following the Xabi Alonso rulebook. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Despite the four wins in La Liga, Arbeloa’s first month has not been without controversy. Staggering defeats to Albacete in the Copa del Rey and a 4-2 loss to Benfica in the Champions League have left scars, forcing the team into a difficult European playoff.

Institutional tension is also simmering. The dressing room was reportedly stunned when Dani Ceballos was excluded from the Benfica match.

While Arbeloa responded by giving the midfielder 45 minutes against Rayo Vallecano, other issues persist.

After the Rayo game, Arbeloa took over an hour to reach the press conference, while Kylian Mbappe even criticised the team’s performance privately.

Things, therefore, are far from perfect at Real Madrid and Arbeloa clearly needs to work more on the solving the problem, if he is to retain his role beyond this season.