“There’s a long way to go,” insists Arbeloa as Real Madrid concede control of title race | OneFootball

Álvaro Arbeloa admitted that Real Madrid “need to play much better” but insisted that “doubts must not appear” after his side were defeated in dramatic fashion by Osasuna at Estadio El Sadar on Saturday.

Los Blancos were punished for a slow start when Ante Budimir slotted home a controversial penalty following an apparent foul by Thibaut Courtois, and despite Vini Jr restoring parity in the second half, Real Madrid were undone by Raúl García’s late strike.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arbeloa accepted that Real Madrid “still haven’t managed to put together four or five matches in a row.

“We were coming off three very important wins against strong opponents, doing things very well. But this isn’t about the last three games,” he explained, adding that “when you’re not at 100%, anyone can beat you and we’re aware of that.”

The defeat comes just a week after Real Madrid seized control of the title race following Barcelona’s defeat to Girona, although the blaugrana could now reclaim pole position with victory against Levante on Sunday as a topsy-turvy title race begins to heat up.

“Yesterday, I said that the season had practically just started. Even if it sounds exaggerated, I still think there’s a long way to go.

“There were moments in the first half where we had good control, but we lacked a lot of speed in our play against a low block. Either you move the ball much faster or they’ll defend you easily. That’s something we need to keep improving and working on.

“We need to be able to beat opponents on both sides. Right now we focus a lot down the left wing and we need to be able to do the same on the other side, otherwise we’re easy to defend. We need to keep working hard because we have another very important match on Wednesday,” Arbeloa added.

That match on Wednesday isn’t any old match, either. It’s the second leg of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League play-off with Benfica, and comes just a week after Vini Jr’s decisive goal in the first leg was marred by reports of racism directed at the Brazilian.

“In four days, we’re fighting again,” the Real Madrid boss stressed to the media.

“A team shows its strength when difficulties arise. Doubts must not appear. I still strongly believe in my players and in the work that they’re doing.

“What we’re lacking is maintaining that level of demand over time, and that’s what we need to keep working on. We’ll try to get the best out of every player because we need them all,” the 43-year-old concluded.