Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran feels Arbeloa not being fair to him as relationship grows tense
After Real Madrid defeated Alaves 2-1 last night, manager Alvaro Arbeloa, in his post-match press conference, was asked about captain Dani Carvajal and his lack of minutes, and whether he would play the veteran right-back more to help him make it to the World Cup with Spain.
This was after Arbeloa had opted to start Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite the Englishman starting last week against Bayern Munich and Carvajal not playing a single minute in Munich.
“Well, I have 20 or 23 players, and I think any player at Real Madrid has options to go to the World Cup. If you’ll allow me, I’ll think about what’s best for the team,” Arbeloa said, curtly.
A tense relationship
Now, according to journalist Jorge C Picon, the relationship between Carvajal and Arbeloa has not been good practically from day one after the latter took over the reins of the first team from Xabi Alonso.
The 34-year-old club captain feels that the manager is not being fair and is taking away his chances of making it to the Spain squad for the FIFA World Cup in the summer.
From Arbeloa’s point of view, he considers Trent the undisputed starter at right-back and does not like how Carvajal has handled his role as a substitute in the past few months.
There has been tension brewing for a while now and the signs have been there, such as Carvajal’s heated exchange with fitness coach Antonio Pintus after the Valencia game, or his distant expressions on the bench.
In the first half of the season, Alonso showed a willingness to share playing time between Trent and Carvajal: he gave the Englishman 449 minutes and the Spaniard 443.
With Arbeloa, that balance was clearly broken: Trent has played close to 1,000 minutes during this period, while Carvajal has played 442. Arbeloa has brought the captain on as a substitute 12 times, but used him only four times as a starter.
Arbeloa’s response in the press conference last night further served to confirm that all is not well between the manager and the club captain.
In a major update, AS reports that former Real Madrid midfielder and club legend Toni Kroos has taken his first step towards starting his coaching career.
The former Germany international has told the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that he is interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers.
Real Madrid tried to bring Kroos back
It is no secret that Real Madrid considered bringing Toni Kroos back into the club’s structure after the end of the last season.
The club president, Florentino Perez, had wanted Kroos to have a daily presence at Valdebebas rather than making occasional appearances after his retirement.
Jose Angel Sanchez and Kroos spoke after Perez expressed his desire to see the German working at Valdebebas every day. However, they did not find the right moment, time or structure to give his return a clear form.
A comeback remains one of the possibilities most desired by Madrid supporters because of Kroos’ charisma and what he represents at the Santiago Bernabeu. Neither side wanted him to return simply for the sake of it, so the door remains open for the future.
The relationship between the two parties is excellent, and both know that the opportunity to work together again will eventually come.
Taking it step by step
For now, Kroos continues to run the academy he established in Boadilla, enjoying the opportunity to help develop younger players.
After two years away from the competitive side of football, however, he is beginning to look towards the dugout as a possible next step in his career.
Kroos currently holds coaching qualifications that allow him to work up to the third tier of Spanish football.
This is possible because professionals with at least seven years of proven experience and significant involvement at the elite level can gain direct access to accelerated coaching courses.
That means Kroos could coach a team in Primera Federacion, but the German wants to take things gradually.
Kroos has already informed the RFEF that he would be interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers during the 2027/28 season.
The course taking place this season is not available to elite former players, with UEFA limiting each campaign to 20 places.
With his current qualifications, Kroos could work as an assistant coach, but he cannot yet take charge as a head coach in either the top flight or the Segunda División.
But completing that programme would allow Kroos to obtain the UEFA A licence, which would enable him to coach teams at any level.
