Arbeloa hails Vinícius Júnior’s starring role at Real Madrid | OneFootball

After Saturday’s 4-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad, coach Álvaro Arbeloa described Vinícius Júnior’s performance as “of the highest level.” The coach emphasized that the Brazilian’s importance goes far beyond the two goals he scored, highlighting his ability to change the course of matches.

“Since I arrived, Vinícius has been a game-changer. He conditions opposing defenses by attracting so many players; he’s one of the best in the world and it’s a privilege to coach him,” said the Merengue manager.

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Arbeloa also valued the use of a “clean week” of training to make physical and tactical adjustments, noting a team that was faster and more secure defensively. Commenting on the victory, the coach took the opportunity to subtly jab at the title contenders:

“I’m delighted with wins like this. Let’s not forget how difficult it is to face this opponent; big teams hadn’t been able to beat them,” he pointed out, celebrating the group’s progress under his leadership.

Looking ahead to the decisive clash against José Mourinho’s Benfica, Arbeloa confirmed that Mbappé’s absence was strategic. “Kylian is fine, but he’s dealing with some discomfort in his knee. We didn’t want to take any risks so he could start in Lisbon,” he explained.

The coach also praised Alexander-Arnold’s intelligence and Carvajal’s return, reinforcing that the goal is to have everyone at 100% for the European battle: “I hope history doesn’t repeat itself in Lisbon; we know how complicated it will be,” he recalled, referring to the setback against Benfica in the league stage.

Arbeloa also defended young defender Dean Huijsen, who conceded a penalty during the match, downplaying the error due to his lack of experience. “That’s the life of a defender. He’s 20 years old and needs to keep gaining the experience that Madrid demands,” Arbeloa concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.