
Alvaro Arbeloa's relationship with Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal has reportedly been poor since their early interactions. Despite Arbeloa's denial of any issues, Carvajal's lack of playing time raises questions about their dynamic.
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Alvaro Arbeloa relationship with Real Madrid captain ‘has been bad since day one’
Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has denied that relations with captain Dani Carvajal are strained, following the decision to leave him out against Alaves. The pair do not appear to be seeing eye-to-eye though, something that supposedly dates back to early on in their relationship.
Carvajal returned to fitness in January, but has barely featured for Arbeloa in terms of starts and consistent minutes, with Trent Alexander-Arnold being preferred. Arbeloa suggested on Thursday that he had no issues with Carvajal, and it was simply the case that it was a difficult decision to leave one of the two out.
According to Jorge Picon, the pair have been at odds since early on in Arbeloa’s tenure. Carvajal feels that his manager has not been fair with his selection choices, and that as a result, Arbeloa is getting in the way of his last chance to go to a World Cup with Spain. For his part, the Real Madrid manager believes that Alexander-Arnold is simply performing better, and that Carvajal could have behaved better as a substitute, and a captain.
The matter has already seen a flashpoint earlier in the season, with peace talks held in March, but the situation has changed little. reference that earlier tension, and that Carvajal took Arbeloa’s spot in the team when the two were in the Real Madrid squad as teammates. also assure that their relation is ‘not the best’.
The relationship between Alvaro Arbeloa and Dani Carvajal has been described as poor since the beginning, with Carvajal receiving limited playing time under Arbeloa.
Alvaro Arbeloa left Dani Carvajal out of the match against Alaves, citing it as a difficult decision, though the underlying relationship issues may have influenced this choice.
Since returning to fitness in January, Dani Carvajal has barely featured as a starter, with Trent Alexander-Arnold being favored instead.

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The Athletic go on to say that during training, Carvajal has struggled to keep up with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, and that using Alexander-Arnold is the decision that makes sense on merit in the eyes of Arbeloa.
It is true that the 34-year-old has not been altogether impressive in the second half of the season, while Alexander-Arnold has contributed plenty going forward. On the other hand, given the lack of game time he has had, Carvajal has had little chance to get back up to match fitness.