MADRID.- The coach of real Madrid, Alvaro Arbeloaassured this Saturday that his relationship with his star striker Kylian Mbappé “remains the same”, after the Frenchman complained last Thursday about his substitution in the match against Oviedo.
“I just ran into him, I told him to be calm. I understand that these types of things make the headlines, but it is something much more normal than you think,” Arbeloa declared at a press conference prior to the league match against Seville.
“I have been a player, I know what they can feel in these situations, of playing every day and then playing less or not playing at all. I understand perfectly that Kylian was not happy for not playing on Thursday, and I like that, I would not understand that he did not want to do it. My relationship with him remains the same,” the Madrid coach insisted.
The French striker, who returned to the field on Thursday after three weeks out due to a hamstring injury, criticized his coach’s decision to leave him on the bench in the 2-0 victory against already relegated Oviedo.
Asked in the mixed zone why he had only played the last few minutes, Mbappé declared: “I feel good, 100%. I have not been a starter because the coach told me that for him I was the fourth forward of the squad, behind Gonzalo, Vinicius and (Franco) Mastantuono,” Mbappé launched, booed by his audience in the stadium. Santiago Bernabéu after entering the 69th minute.
Arbeloa answered almost at the same time in the post-match press conference that the player had “misunderstood” him and that he did not want to “take risks” in a match of LaLiga with nothing at stake, since Real Madrid has not played anything since its defeat last Sunday against the FC Barcelonaproclaimed champion.
“Happy” if Mourinho returns
Also asked about the rumors of his former coach and mentor returning to the white bench for next season. Jose MourinhoArbeloa once again praised the Portuguese: “For me, as a former player and as a Madrid fan, José Mourinho is number one. He is one of ours. If he comes back next year, I will be very happy to see him back home.”
Arbeloa, who from several of his answers already seemed to assume that he will not continue next season after having failed to win any title, was “grateful” for having been able to coach the merengue club for five months.
“The most difficult thing in this club is when you don’t win. So what hurts me the most is not having been able to help the team win titles,” he concluded.
