Alvaro Arbeloa took to the podium at Real Madrid City to analyse all the current affairs of the club in the run-up to the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Manchester City. Bernabeu: “It will be a difficult match, but a nice one and one that the fans are looking forward to. We are going to go out to win the game and we are very motivated. The Champions League is important for all of us.”
Mbappe and his knee: “It’s much better. It’s a day-to-day thing and to see how it evolves. It’s been a very positive week and he’s come back with great feelings. Every day he’s getting better and looking forward to coming back soon.”
Favorites?: “If I said that it is always a favorite that is what I think. We are Real Madrid and we do not feel less than anyone ever. We should not feel inferior to anyone. We have a rival that we know well, their identity of the club, players and what it means the City and how complicated it has always been to face them, but we face it with enthusiasm and always looking them in the eye.”
Vigo’s phrase “happy for those who wanted to come”: “No, when you say that… you are happy with those who wanted to come. What I wanted to do was to value those who made an effort, it was not one or two… there were several who made the effort. That’s all I said, the rest is the interpretation you wanted to give. No player who was not in Vigo was because they did not want to go. Neither grammatically nor semantically does it mean that someone did not want to go.”
Guardiola: “He always has a surprise in store. He is a coach that no matter how much you watch his teams, he has something different prepared for you. You have to think about many of the variations that he is capable of making. I would be very surprised if tomorrow there is not some change in the structure of City. You always have to be prepared to face a coach like Guardiola.”
Laporta: “Yes, candidate Laporta… I think it was he who quadrupled the payments to Negreira. There’s not much more to it.”
Guti’s words and the “poisoned candy”: “I have a lot of respect for him because of what he means to Real Madrid; because of the legacy he left. I respect his opinion very much because, as I say, I’m not here to evaluate all opinions. A very strong greeting; I hope I can give him a hug soon.”
Two months in charge of the first team: “I don’t think there are any differences… in these two months you grow and learn. I think I’m the same person, but with two months as Real Madrid coach, which is a master’s degree. I am grateful for every day I spend here.”
Homegrown players: “I think we all agree that in Vigo the homegrown players did not tremble and all contributed a lot. Here are the best players in the world and to put one of the youth players you have to stop putting one of the first team. That is not easy for a coach but if I do it is because I think they will contribute. We have many players who can help us a lot and are ready for games like tomorrow’s and have already proven it.”
Camavinga: “Much better, it’s been a very bad week. Here they say that it is ‘worse than a toothache’. But he has been with the group since Saturday and is perfectly ready for tomorrow.”
Would you consider a draw tomorrow to be a good result? “I think we will go out to win tomorrow.”
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