The first leg of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal did not quite go to plan last night, but the result could well have been worse.
The Merengues suffered a 1-2 defeat at home and must now head to the Allianz Arena chasing a deficit. The deficit itself, however, could well have been larger had a few moments gone differently.
In the end, Kylian Mbappe was unsurprisingly the goalscorer for the men in white and they must put in the shift of their lives if they are to get over the line next week.
Alvaro Arbeloa spoke to the media after the game and expressed his disappointment at the result, labelling it a defeat that was ‘avoidable.’
“I think it was a defeat we could have avoided if we’d had a bit of luck on our side in the second half. It’s clear we faced a great team—we knew that beforehand.”
“We made two mistakes, lost the ball twice, we had talked about the need to avoid that before the match and during halftime, especially to stay more compact if it happened,” he added.
Speaking on how every minor error counts in such a high-stakes game, Arbeloa said, “Against this kind of team, if you make those kinds of errors, you pay the price, and that’s what we have to face now.”
The manager then commented on the flow of the game itself and the positive and negative takeaways from his team’s performance.
“It’s clear we scored a goal that gave us hope, and it’s a shame we couldn’t capitalise on some of the other chances that came our way. It won’t be easy, but if there’s any team capable of winning in Munich, it’s us.”
On the situation at half-time and the changes he asked his players to make to improve in possession, Arbeloa said,
“We talked about it at halftime that when you recover the ball after running for a minute or two in situations where you’re not at full activity, you have to offer options to the ball holder.”
“Because if you recover the ball and don’t find someone to pass to, you’ll lose it again, and you’ll go back to that circle of constant defending,” he added.
He then acknowledged that Bayern Munich’s press was relentless and that it was very difficult for his side to play through the same.
“It’s not easy, and I told the players that because the opponent (Bayern Munich) presses with great force and ferocity.”
“But we need, when recovering the ball, for the players to show up, to move, to call for it, to want it, and to keep it even if we have to commit a foul,” he added.
“The important thing is that we’re then able to tire them out. And to rest with the ball, and to be attacking and threaten their goal,” he concluded on his tactical idea.
Arbeloa was then asked what he was discussing with Vinicius Jr around the 70-minute mark and the instructions he was giving the team.
“Talking to Vinicius Junior in the 70th minute? Yes, I was telling him that we just need one goal to stay in the competition, and that we can’t lose our nerves too much.”
He then lashed out at the referee for handing out Aurelien Tchouameni a soft yellow card through which he will miss the next leg, and also for failing to send off Jonathan Tah.
“Tchouameni’s yellow card? I don’t know what the referee saw there. And why didn’t he show the red card after the foul on Mbappe?”
The Real Madrid manager then spoke on the possibility of his team coming back and overcoming the deficit.
“We will go to Munich to win.”
“When we conceded two goals, I think we took too many risks trying to equalise,” he added.
Looking at the bright side, he spoke on how the result could have been worse.
“If we had conceded three goals, it would have been disastrous. We have to act rationally, and that’s not easy in such circumstances.”
Praising his team for the second-half display and speaking on how it directly reflects their chance of pulling off an upset in Munich, Arbeloa said,
“We were much better in the second half, especially with ball possession.”
“I also appreciate my team’s ambition, their unwillingness to lose, and their awareness that they were playing at home and their desire to keep attacking,” he added.
He then commented on the chances they missed last night, saying,
“It’s a shame we didn’t capitalise on another chance, but of course, I have great confidence in going to Germany and being able to win there.”
Finally, Arbeloa was asked if it was a good sign that Manuel Neuer was named the man of the match, to which he said,
“The good news is that Neuer was Man of the Match? Yes, well.. I don’t know if this is the best news, but it is indeed an indication that we can inflict serious damage on Bayern Munich.”
“It won’t be easy in front of their fans, but as I said before, if there’s a team capable of winning in Munich, it’s Real Madrid,” he added.
He then spoke on Alvaro Carreras and the tough challenge the full-back faced defending against Michael Olise.
“Alvaro Carreras? Well, I think he was facing one of the best players in the world, a winger who’s having an exceptional season.”
“It’s never easy to face a player like that. My confidence in Carreras remains complete.
“I think he’s a truly great player, and not only does he have a promising future ahead, but he also has a great present,” he added.
“He’ll definitely learn from today’s matchup. This is the challenge any full-back faces, and those of us who’ve played in that position know it well.
“Defending against this type of player isn’t easy,” he concluded.
