Dressing room divide: Only four Real Madrid players remain in support of Arbeloa | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s internal stability has reached a new low following a week defined by physical altercations and a breakdown in squad discipline.

As the club struggles to manage a violent physical altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, the focus has shifted to the dwindling authority of manager Álvaro Arbeloa.

The atmosphere at the Valdebebas training ground is at its most fractured point in years. While the club’s board is already frustrated by the manager’s recent passivity during player disputes, new reports indicate that Arbeloa has lost the support of almost the entire dressing room.

Only four players stand with Arbeloa

Indeed, according to L’Equipe (h/t Madrid Zone), currently, only four first-team players are said to still back Arbeloa: Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, Valverde, and Fran Garcia.

The fact that the vast majority of the squad, including several veteran leaders, has distanced itself from Arbeloa highlights the severity of the crisis.

As has already been reported, as many as six players are not even on speaking terms with the former defender-turned-manager.

Arbeloa has lost support from most of the dressing room. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Arbeloa has had dressing room conflicts with club captain Dani Carvajal, as well as several other stars such as Dani Ceballos, Raul Asencio, and Alvaro Carreras.

This isolation was even more evident during yesterday’s training session, where Valverde was allowed to verbally berate Tchouameni without any intervention from the coaching staff, eventually leading to the dressing room fight.

With President Florentino Perez already forced to step in to mediate player conflicts and handle disciplinary measures, the lack of a unified front between the manager and his players has left the club in a precarious position.

The internal divide has only served to strengthen the belief that Arbeloa’s tenure is nearing its end, even as the team prepares for the high-pressure environment of Sunday’s El Clasico against Barcelona.