Real Madrid coach must play balancing act in the final matches of the season due to World Cup | OneFootball

Real Madrid host Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday in what is, on paper, a match with very little at stake for the home side.

Eliminated from the Champions League and nine points adrift of Barcelona in La Liga, the final seven games of the season represent little more than damage limitation for Alvaro Arbeloa’s side.

World Cup eyes in the dressing room

According to Diario SPORT, a significant portion of the Real Madrid squad currently has their attention fixed firmly on this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

With collective honours no longer attainable, individual ambitions have taken centre stage, and the priority for many players is simply to arrive at the tournament fit and healthy.

That creates a delicate situation for Arbeloa. More than half of his squad have received international call-ups at some point this season.

Arbeloa must play a balancing act in these final few matches. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

For several of them, these final seven league games represent their last opportunity to impress their respective national team coaches ahead of the summer.

Players such as Carvajal, Mastantuono, Huijsen and Camavinga all fall into the category of those needing to make a late case for inclusion.

Meanwhile, others, including Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe, Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler and Rudiger, are considered certainties for their nations provided they avoid injury.

And therein lies the problem. For those already assured of their World Cup place, the incentive to push through any physical discomfort in meaningless league fixtures is minimal.

The risk of aggravating an injury in a dead rubber will always outweigh the reward, and Arbeloa will be well aware that some of his biggest names may not be fully committed to throwing themselves into every challenge over the coming weeks.