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Alvaro Arbeloa described Real Madrid's dressing room as 'healthy' despite a recent fight between Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni. Both players received ā¬500k fines, and Arbeloa praised the club's swift handling of the incident.
Alvaro Arbeloa on Aurelien Tchouameni-Fede Valverde fight: āItās a healthy dressing roomā
Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has characterised their dressing room as āhealthyā, in spite of the conflict between Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni this week. He also went on to praise the clubās handling of the incident, after both players were handed ā¬500k fines.
In the first public address of the matter, Arbeloa began with a lengthy diatribe, that invoked Real Madrid legend Juanito, and asked for Tchouameni and Fede Valverde to be given a chance to move on from the incident. He also confirmed that Tchouameni would be in the squad to face Barcelona, and confirmed he was happy with Valverde in his role as a vice-captain.
āI want to say two things. First, Iām very proud of the decisiveness, speed, and transparency with which the club has acted. And second, that the players have acknowledged their mistake, expressed their regret, and asked for forgiveness. Thatās enough for me. What Iām not going to do is publicly crucify them, because they donāt deserve it. Theyāve shown me what it means to be a Real Madrid player these past four months and years. Theyāve demonstrated that they know what it means to be a Real Madrid player, and I wonāt forget that.ā
āI always give an example. For me, thereās a player who is the epitome of what a Real Madrid player should be, and thatās Juanito. And he never made a mistake? Weāre all very proud of what he did in every match. He understood what is all about; he gave his all. How could I not make mistakes? We all make mistakes. But if thereās one thing we love him for, itās because he made mistakes, just like anyone can.ā
Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni were involved in a fight in the Real Madrid dressing room.
Both players were fined ā¬500,000 for their involvement in the fight.
Alvaro Arbeloa characterized the dressing room as 'healthy' and praised the club's handling of the situation.
Yes, Alvaro Arbeloa confirmed that Aurelien Tchouameni would be in the squad to face Barcelona.

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āThese two players deserve for us to move on, to give them a chance to keep fighting for this club. Iām very proud of them. I wonāt allow this to be used to question their professionalism: itās a lie that they arenāt professional, that they arenāt playing because of problems with me, and that theyāve disrespected me⦠itās absolutely false. Iām the one ultimately responsible for the fact that we probably havenāt been up to par this season. But Iāve been here for four months and Iām very proud of my players. Of how they welcomed me, and of where we came from. Itās clear that frustration and anger can lead you to situations you donāt want. Now we have to focus on the game. Thatās what we need to concentrate on now.ā
Arbeloa was willing to be the fall guy for the chaos inside the dressing room, with the qualifier of āif the coach should have stopped itā. One of the main discussions in recent months has been a lack of leaders in the Real Madrd team.
āIf you want to point the finger at someone, here I am,ā later adding that, āMy office isnāt inside the dressing room, and I wish it were so I could keep an eye on everything. If the coach should have stopped this, I take responsibility. The players know they made a mistake, and this should serve as an example for everyone. We have to keep going.ā
Arbeloa rejected the idea that Real Madrid players have ātoo much powerā,Ā with plenty of reporting that Xabi Alonsoās exit earlier in the season was in no small part down to his failure to connect with some of his starts.
āI donāt know what heās referring to. Iām telling you, when a Real Madrid player doesnāt play, itās a sporting decision. I choose the one I believe deserves it. The fans can rest assured with this dressing room and these players. We went 30 years without winning the European Cup. I arrived here and we went five years without getting past the round of 16. These are difficult situations, and thereās no one better prepared than our president to turn things around. Heās managed to put Real Madrid where it belongs, and we have to fight to get Real Madrid back where it belongs.ā
He even went on to describe it as a healthy dressing room, despite the incidents that have been made public over the past week.
āItās a dressing room worthy of Real Madrid. Itās not easy to accept two seasons without a trophy and everything thatās happened. To be a Real Madrid player, you have a lot at stake, and living up to this badge isnāt easy to accept. Iām sure we have to do things better, but I see a healthy dressing room, ready to win again.ā
āIām sure that next year, with more experience, weāll all improve. This dressing room is younger than the one I was in, and these experiences will help them grow. I repeat, nothing from these past four months makes me say Iām not happy and proud of this dressing room.ā
One of the players that has come in for heavy criticism in recent weeks is Kylian Mbappe. That was not helped when he left training shortly after the Valverde-Tchouameni fight laughing hysterically, which was caught on camera.
āFor a player to leave training smiling is to take things out of context and make them seem out of place. I can only speak for Carreras; when heās played, itās because heās earned it. In MbappĆ©ās case, we all know the effort he made to come to Madrid and what he gave up. Weāve all seen him in a Madrid tracksuit as a kid. I feel I have the full authority of a Madrid coach; ultimately, theyāre respecting the current coach, and as a player, thatās the most important thing.ā
As has been the case throughout the last four months, Arbeloa has been willing to take the blame for any flaws in Real Madrid, defending his players.
āThe only thing that worries me and that I reflect on is how I could have made my team win more games. There have been difficult moments these past few months. I know the situation we were in when I arrived, and we won some very tough matches. We beat City, who had just won the FA Cup against Arsenal, and thrashed Chelsea 4-0⦠and we won both games. We beat AtlĆ©tico. I certainly feel that against Bayern there were things beyond your control. I often wonder what I could have done to help us win some league games, but thatās what I reflect on. How I could have helped my players win more.ā
āIāve been heavily criticised for not talking about football and more technical aspects. Iāve emphasized my teamās values, and it seems what I said last week attracted a lot of attention, but effort, camaraderie, passion, and hard work must always be demonstrated. Tactically, thereās certainly a lot of room for improvement.ā
Real Madrid have a final chance to stave off what looks like an impending La Liga title for Barcelona with a win at Camp Nou on Sunday night at 21:00 CEST. Currently Los Blancos are 11 points behind their rivals, but just as much focus is on the tension in the Real Madrid dressing room.