Arbeloa continued in his press conference: “I’m not unaware of everything that’s being said, and obviously, if anyone wants my words to be a criticism of Xabi, they’re not going to find them. They’ll be very wrong. What happened in Albacete was a lack of ideas, of play, of fitness… of many things for which I am responsible. There will only be one person responsible, and that’s the Real Madrid coach. With Antonio Pintus, we will work to get the players back to their best in every aspect.
“The players who were available for the Albacete match were called up; those who weren’t selected were at risk of injury. When I wanted to acknowledge Vini’s effort, it was because I knew where he’d been coming from: a very tough week, a lot of hard work. It wasn’t just his willingness, but also the performance he delivered.
“I’m not saying that those who stayed didn’t want to come, quite the opposite. Everyone who was available came with us. I decided I didn’t want to take any risks and I would do it again.”