Real Madrid News
Real Madrid unhappy with Arbeloa’s inaction during Valverde-Tchouameni spat
The tension within Real Madrid’s dressing room reached a boiling point during today’s training session, as Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni were involved in a major bust-up that got physical and led to the former paying a visit to the hospital.
The two had already been involved in a verbal confrontation on Wednesday, but things escalated to a whole new level today.
Arbeloa’s inactivity concerns Real Madrid
And, according to AS, Real Madrid are far from pleased with manager Alvaro Arbeloa and his inaction during the training session, allowing the issue to escalate to such degree.
As previously reported, Valverde spent the entire training session accusing Tchouaméni of leaking details regarding their Wednesday’s altercations to the press.
The second club captain was relentless in his verbal pursuit of the French midfielder, repeatedly blaming him for the media firestorm that followed their dressing-room spat earlier this week.
The confrontation created a deeply uncomfortable environment for the rest of the squad as they attempted to prepare for Sunday’s El Clasico.
However, the most significant fallout from the session concerns the conduct of manager Arbeloa.
Despite the constant verbal barbs and the obvious risk of a physical flare-up, Arbeloa remained entirely passive.
The head coach did not intervene, issue a warning, or attempt to mediate the dispute, even when Valverde was making strong challenges on Tchouameni, allowing the tense atmosphere to persist throughout the tactical drills.
The manager did help Valverde after the physical brawl inside the dressing room, accompanying him to the hospital to get stitches on the cut on his face.
Nevertheless, this perceived lack of leadership has not gone down too well the Real Madrid board.
As already reported, the club’s hierarchy believes that the manager must command the dressing room, especially in a crisis of this magnitude, and that both Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso have failed to do so.
With president Florentino Perez already forced to personally intervene in the dispute, the pressure on Arbeloa is now at an all-time high as his tenure drags towards a disappointing end.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
