Real Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa vented his frustration over the refereeing decisions and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system after Friday’s 1–1 draw with Girona (1–1) in Friday’s La Liga round 31, while underlining his full faith in the Merengues’ capacity to overturn the tie in the Champions League and orchestrate another ‘remontada’ on German soil.
Refereeing and questions
In a forthright post-match interview, the coach lamented the failure to award a penalty to star player Kylian Mbappé, describing the incident as “as clear as day”.
“That’s a penalty here and on the moon,” he stated. “I don’t understand when VAR intervenes; it seems they only use it when it suits their whims. Today only reinforces my belief that we’ve been suffering all season at the hands of the referees.”
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Confidence in the stars and a collective solution
Despite the draw, the manager played down concerns over the goalscoring slump of Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, stating: “I’m not worried about two of the world’s top-five players. The issue isn’t individual; it’s our collective play against deep defensive blocks. We must improve together to break this deadlock, and Wednesday’s game can be the turning point.”
Roadmap to the Munich clash
Looking ahead to Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Bayern Munich, the coach issued a defiant warning, insisting that history and the famous white shirt will be factors.
“We’ll have enough time to analyse our mistakes and correct them; we’re going to Germany with the sole aim of winning.”
“Some may think a comeback is impossible, but we’ll travel with 25 players fully convinced we can progress. They may see themselves as favourites, but they’ll face the prestige of this badge and the history of this shirt, and we’ll fight like Real Madrid.”
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Bellingham and Camavinga.
The manager praised Jude Bellingham for regaining his rhythm after the break and lauded Eduardo Camavinga’s performance in the holding midfield role, calling him a tactically astute selection that adds flexibility to the side.
On the title race, he refused to concede defeat: “I will only feel we have lost the league when we are mathematically out of it, and until then, we will fight for every point and put the club in the best possible light.”