As the city of Madrid handles the chaos that has come with the Spanish Super Cup final, El Clasico defeat, and subsequent managerial change, Real Madrid already begun preparing for their next game of the season.
The first title of the season has come and gone, and with it went the team’s former manager and club legend Xabi Alonso.
His successor, Alvaro Arbeloa oversaw his first training session earlier today, and tomorrow, his team faces their first match.
A lot has changed over the past 24 hours and Real Madrid do not have long to deal with it all because the Copa del Rey Round of 16 sees them pitted against a tricky lower division opponent.
Albacete, their opponent on the night, may be winless in three games but have beaten both Celta Vigo and Leganes in the competition already.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Albacete vs Real Madrid.
A shocking change
The atmosphere at Real Madrid has been unstable all season, but the past 24 hours have been particularly turbulent. After all, the administration axed Xabi Alonso after the Spanish Super Cup defeat completely out of the blue.
The defeat was indeed not the result expected, and it is true that the team did not show tangible improvement under the coach. But to axe him days after claiming that his position was safe, more so after a run of wins, is completely contentious.
Alonso’s sacking has generated mixed reactions in the fanbase. While some support the decisions as the right move forward, most fans have come out vocally against the dressing room for the ego and control they exert at the club.
After all, it only became increasingly clear with every passing day that Alonso had lost some key members of the dressing room and the players were refusing to adapt to his style.
In just a flash, the Alonso era is over and tomorrow, Real Madrid will play their first game of the post-Alonso era which serves as the starting position of the next talking point – Arbeloa’s entry.
No time to reset
Alvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid manager
Alvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid’s new manager. (Photo courtesy: X/RealMadrid)
Managerial changes often stand for something far more than the mere replacement of a presence on the sidelines. After all, coaches are usually fired and hired as part of a long-term plan.
Alonso arrived seeking to bring order to Real Madrid’s football, but he failed and soon adapted to the dressing room’s demands. Now, another former Real Madrid player takes over in Alvaro Arbeloa and one is forced to wonder how his situation will turn out any different.
Tomorrow’s game will be the first in the Arbeloa era, and while it remains uncertain how affected the dressing room is by the noise around them, there is simply no time to reset. After all, the cup game is unforgiving.
Taking on Albacete away from home in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid know well that the consequence of a defeat is direct elimination from the competition and disqualification from the trophy race.
The team’s first game under the new coach, needless to say, must begin with a win for the stakes are simply too high. One misstep and the team could blow a second piece of silverware in two games.
Notably, Albacete have already knocked out Celta Vigo from the Copa del Rey, the same Galician side that defeated Real Madrid in La Liga. The game, thus, will not be easy in any measure, let alone for a team fresh under a new manager.
Big doubts in the attack
If the managerial change and the high stakes were not big enough factors ahead of Wednesday’s game, Real Madrid face another major hurdle in the attacking department.
Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe both did not train with the group on Tuesday and their participation against Albacete remains in doubt. Federico Valverde, who left the field injured, is also a major doubt.
Mbappe and Rodrygo have been two of Real Madrid’s most consistent performers in recent weeks. While the former has single-handedly carried the attack all season, the latter has seen a resurgence over the past month.
To miss out on both stars and rely only on Gonzalo Garcia and Vinicius Jr., who himself finished the Super Cup tie exhausted, comes as a big blow.
Arbeloa’s first game in charge, thus, will not be a walk in the garden. The team have several factors lined up against them and there is simply no room for error. A season-defining game awaits.