Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa is returning to the Mestalla after almost 11 years on Sunday night. Although he left Real Madrid as a player at the end of the 2015-16 season, he did not make it to the matchday squad in the away fixture at Valencia under Rafa Benitez in 2016. His last visit to this stadium was in 2014-15, under Carlo Ancelotti.
It is safe to say that a lot has changed in the world, not just the world of football, since the 2-1 defeat against Valencia at the Mestalla on January 4, 2015. Real Madrid’s starting XI, in Arbeloa’s last visit to Valencia’s home, was: Iker Casillas, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Isco, James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Casillas, Pepe, Bale, Kroos, and Marcelo have retired from football. Casillas is still in an ambassadorial role with Real Madrid. Sergio Ramos is currently looking for a club. Isco, James, Benzema, and Ronaldo are still kicking it about. Dani Carvajal is the captain of Real Madrid now. Arbeloa – who was on the bench that night has taken the reins of the first team after coaching Castilla for not too long.
Real Madrid had taken the lead in the first half thanks to a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo. But goals from Antonio Barragan and Nicolas Otamendi turned things around for the home side in the second half. This was the phase of the season where things started to go south for Real Madrid at a swift pace. After enjoying 22 wins in a row, injuries and defeats started to pile up in 2015 and resulted in Carlo Ancelotti’s sacking at the end of the season.
See More:
* [Real Madrid CF: History](/real-madrid-cf-history)
* [Real Madrid CF: La Liga](/real-madrid-cf-la-liga)
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