Álvaro Arbeloa appeared before the press on the eve of tomorrow’s Clásico against Barcelona, in the middle of an unprecedented dressing-room crisis at Real Madrid.
The first-team coach gave his version of the fight between Valverde and Tchouameni, who have been disciplined and fined by the club. "I’m very proud of the club’s firmness, speed and transparency. And then of the players acknowledging their mistake, expressing their regret and apologizing. That’s enough for me," he said.
"Valverde and Tchouameni deserve for us to turn the page, to give them a chance to keep fighting for this club. I’m very proud of them. I’m not going to allow this to be used to cast doubt on their professionalism: it’s a lie that they aren’t professionals, that they have disrespected me... it’s absolutely false," he stressed.
The coach said that Tchouameni will be included in the squad for the Clásico and that he is "very happy with the work of his four captains."
Arbeloa also denied reports about problems with some players, such as Carvajal. "It’s a lie that any of them aren’t playing because of problems with me, or because of their life outside Real Madrid. I am the first person responsible for the fact that the season is probably not up to standard. But I’ve been here for four months and I’m very proud of my players."
"What I’m not going to do is throw them (the players) onto a public bonfire, because they don’t deserve it," Arbeloa stressed, while also saying that he sees "a healthy dressing room."
"Anyone who wants to take a player smiling after training out of context is twisting things."
"I can only speak up for him, for his work and the way he is treating me. When he has played, it’s because he has deserved it, and when he hasn’t, it’s because someone else has deserved it more."
"For things that happened in the dressing room to be leaked seems like a betrayal of Real Madrid and its badge."
"I’m not accusing my players, or anyone. There are a lot of people at Real Madrid and I’m not here to point the finger at anyone. What happens with my players will stay between them and me."
