Heads up, Benfica! Arbeloa caught up in controversy with Real Madrid legend | OneFootball

The Real Madrid coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, and the team captain, Daniel Carvajal, met on Tuesday morning in Madrid, to clarify the controversy generated by the absence of the full-back in the starting eleven against Valencia, who also did not play against Benfica in the last match of the Champions League group stage.

According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, the meeting between the two took place in a calm environment and served for both parties to exchange opinions and seek a point of understanding for the future of the "Madrilenians" in the current sports season.

The controversy erupted in the game at Mestalla, when Carvajal not only stayed on the bench but also saw the young David Jiménez take the starting position at right-back. To worsen the situation, Jiménez's substitute in the game was Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was returning from a two-month injury. The coach's decisions were difficult for the captain to accept, whose discontent became public through images captured at the end of the game, where Álvaro Carreras scored one of the goals in Real Madrid's victory.

Carvajal underwent a knee arthroscopy on October 26, which kept him off the field for 74 days. He returned to the squad on January 4, against Betis, but since then his playing time has been minimal. In ten consecutive call-ups, the Spanish international accumulated only 27 minutes, divided between the games against Albacete and Monaco.

Before the duel against the greatest European champion, Benfica will take the field next Friday, February 13, at 6:30 PM, against Santa Clara, at Estádio São Miguel. The match, against the team led by Petit, will count for the 22nd round of the Liga Portugal Betclic.

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