Despite reports that Kylian Mbappe will not be fit to face Levante this Saturday, Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa plans to at least have him in the squad. For his first game against Albacete, Arbeloa left a number of his stars at home, including Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois, but all three look set to face Los Granotas.
Mbappe has been struggling with a knee problem since the start of the year, and entered the last 20 minutes of the Spanish Supercup, without much impact. On Thursday night it was reported that Mbappe was not ready to face Levante, and would not risk himself after missing the trip to Albacete, but he was back in training on Friday morning.
“He is better and he will be in the team,” said Arbeloa without elaborating.
‘I’m responsible for all the things that went wrong’
After their defeat to Albacete, Arbeloa said he was responsible for the loss, but also criticized the players’ physical condition, saying ‘there is a lot of room for improvement’. Arbeloa said this does not mean that his predecessor Xabi Alonso and his staff were not done yet.
“I don’t know everything that is being said, and obviously, if someone wants my words to be a criticism of Xabi, they will not find them. They will be very wrong. What happened in Albacete was the lack of ideas, playing, fitness … in many things that I am facing. There will be only one person responsible, and that is Antonio who will work on Pintus to restore every coach of Real Madrid. characteristic.”
‘Vinicius’ performance was that of a leader’ – Arbeloa
One of his comments taken after Alaves was that ‘we have to thank Vinicius for being here’, with the aforementioned stars absent. Arbeloa then corrected his song, explaining that he was more grateful for his efforts, rather than his presence.
“The players who were there for the Albacete match were called up; those who weren’t selected were at risk of injury. When I wanted to thank Vini for his effort, it was because I knew where he was coming from: a very difficult week, a lot of hard work. It wasn’t just his determination, but also his performance.”
“That’s what I need from Vinicius. That’s what it means to be a leader. I’ve also read a lot of criticism directed at the youth academy. You can be sure he’ll be on your side, because for me, Real Madrid’s youth academy is the best in the world, and they’ll always be there for me.”
“I’m not saying that those who remained didn’t want to come, on the contrary. All those who were there went with us. I decided that I didn’t want to risk it and I will do it again.”
Rodrygo Goes has been released from Levante
Arbeloa confirmed that Los Blancos will be without Rodrygo Goes, who did not train on Friday.
“Rodry will not be available tomorrow. He is recovering from his hard effort last week. We hope he will be back soon and available on Tuesday. We all know Rodrygo’s exceptional quality and the good times he has given us. In recent months, he has regained his best form. We wish him a speedy recovery.”
He will join Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy on the sidelines. Brahim Diaz will also be absent, as he prepares for the final match of the African Cup of Nations against Morocco on Sunday.
