Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa says his club’s fans have the right to laugh at him and his team, as they did during Saturday’s 2-0 La Liga win over Levante.
Arbeloa won his first win as Madrid coach but, along with stars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, was booed and whistled by the home fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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Arbeloa was appointed on Monday to replace Xabi Alonso after Real lost the Spanish Super Cup final to rivals Barcelona and the club lost to second-tier Albacete in the Copa del Rey in his first game in charge.
Arbeloa told reporters: “We have not had a good week and the fans have every right to express their dissatisfaction with all the players, the team and, first of all, me.”
“I think the whistle is for everyone, starting with me because I’m the leader of this team and I have to call it out when things aren’t going right.”
Arbeloa said fans’ anger helped make Madrid the most successful club in world football.
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“I’ve always respected the Bernabeu (the crowd) and they always whistled at me, and the fans’ needs are one of the reasons why this club is so great,” the 43-year-old Spaniard said on Saturday.
“We know the week we’ve had, we know this is the biggest club in the world and people want the biggest clubs and we know what the Bernabeu demands of us.
“I think we will always accept that request very well because they know we can do more, we can give more, we have to be at the level of Real Madrid and I have nothing to blame our fans.”
– ‘Proud’ to coach Vinicius –
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Brazilian winger Vinicius is the player who angers Real Madrid fans the most.
Arbeloa said he would try to get the best out of the striker, who went on to go 16 consecutive games without scoring against Barcelona on Sunday.
Arbeloa said: “As Real Madrid coach, I know very well that I will try to get the best out of Vinicius and I will ask his teammates to find him more and give him the ball as much as possible.”
The 25-year-old joined Madrid in 2018 and has gone on to win two Champions League titles and three La Liga titles, among other trophies.
“What Vinicius has done since he came here as a child, very few people in the history of Real Madrid have done,” the coach continued.
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“I’m proud to be his coach and I will work hard with him to get the best out of him because he will bring us many trophies as he has already done.”
Arbeloa praised the team’s performance under pressure and said the team had performed well this week considering the club’s situation, closing the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to one point.
“I have 11 brave players on the field, 20 this week, because not only did the players who came on the field today perform well, but there was a lot of positive energy,” the coach said.
“We know in the dressing room we will improve, we will work hard and we will fight for everything.”
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