Real Madrid in turmoil, no peace! Now Mbappé vs Arbeloa | OneFootball

The striker came out all guns blazing when asked about coming on as a substitute against Real Oviedo, remarks that the Merengue coach denied in a press conference.

Real Madrid’s victory over Real Oviedo was overshadowed by the tense night at the Santiago Bernabéu, where banners were displayed against Florentino Pérez calling for his resignation. Just when it seemed the final 2-0 would bring the long-awaited calm, the heated back-and-forth between Kylian Mbappé and coach Álvaro Arbeloa raised the tension even further in a season marked by conflict at the White House.

“I’m 100% fine. I didn’t play because, for the boss, I was the fourth striker in the squad behind Mastantuono, Vini, and Gonzalo. I was ready to start, it’s his decision and you always have to respect it. I’m not angry,” began the French goalscorer, who was heavily whistled at when asked about being on the bench and coming on in the 24th minute of the second half.

“I don’t have any problem with Arbeloa. You have to respect him. You have to accept the coach’s philosophy and I have to do better to play ahead of Vini, Gonzalo, and Mastantuono. I don’t watch the boss’s press conferences. At home I have French TV, not Spanish,” added the former PSG and Monaco player in the mixed zone, with a clear dig at the Iberian press.

Arbeloa’s response was swift. He was ironic about what his star striker had said when asked about his controversial remarks: “I’d love to have four strikers, I don’t know what to tell you because I don’t even have four strikers, nor have I said anything like that to him. He must have misunderstood, I don’t know what to tell you, I didn’t tell him he’s the fourth striker.”

“If I don’t play him, he can’t play, that’s obvious. I’m the coach and I decide who plays and who doesn’t. Four days ago he couldn’t even make the bench, and today wasn’t a final. He’s going to be the first striker, as I’ve told him. I don’t have any problem with anyone. I understand that those who don’t play aren’t happy, and I can understand that, but it’s a decision based on the circumstances. It was the most logical, natural, and common-sense thing not to take a risk with another match in three days,” he said, explaining the reason for his absence from the starting eleven.

Another point raised by Mbappé that sparked controversy was his nod to Xabi Alonso, which was also interpreted as criticism of his current coach. “We started the season well. We were league leaders, in the top 8 of the Champions League… But we lost everything in the second half of the season. It hurts a lot because we had a playing structure and we lost it. And that hurts a lot. We have to learn and accept the criticism so we can come back next year,” he said.

In response to those remarks, Arbeloa tried to calm things down and agreed with what the Frenchman had argued, trying to put himself in his shoes to understand his point of view. “Until I hear everything he said, if he said that about the structure, that seems fine to me because he scored more goals in the first part of the season,” he replied.

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