Marca: Asensio clashed with Arbeloa and returned to the squad after apologizing

According to the latest report from Marca, Raúl Asensio had a conflict with Arbeloa after the first leg against Manchester City, and was therefore excluded from the squad until he apologized to the whole team, after which he returned to the squad.

It is reported that Raúl Asensio was excluded from the starting lineup against Manchester City, a decision by Arbeloa that made the player extremely dissatisfied - a few days later, Asensio even accused Arbeloa to his face. In Raúl Asensio's view, the effort he put in to play against Celta three days before the crucial Champions League game against Manchester City should have earned him a starting position, but Arbeloa gave the opportunity to Heijsen instead.

Against Celta, Real Madrid's defense was already stretched: Militão and Alaba were absent due to injuries, and Heijsen was suspended. Raúl Asensio had previously suffered a severe neck injury against Benfica, but he endured the pain and took the initiative to participate in the match, partnering with Rudiger as center-back, however, he could only sit on the bench and did not get any playing time against Manchester City.

The tension between the coach and the player completely erupted a few days later. After the game against Manchester City, Raúl Asensio was supposed to start against Elche, but on the day of the match, before the team's regular morning activation session, Raúl Asensio came to Arbeloa's office with the team doctor and informed the coach that he had slight muscle discomfort and could not participate.

This sudden situation infuriated Arbeloa - the player's resentment over being abandoned in the Manchester City game had not subsided, and now there was the added variable of \"late withdrawal\". The tension was obvious in the confrontation between the two; worse, Arbeloa immediately notified Rudiger, who had been excluded from the plan to prepare for the second leg against Manchester City: since Militão and Alaba were still injured, Rudiger had to play against Elche.

This temporary change of formation made Rudiger extremely dissatisfied, because he was extremely strict about his personal training plan and game preparation process. Being pulled into the game temporarily not only violated his rest arrangements, but also forced him to overwork because his body was not in its best condition, which ran counter to the physical management carefully planned by him and Arbeloa, and also contained hidden risks of injury. The impact of this incident therefore spread from the coach's office to the entire locker room.

After that, Raúl Asensio was not only left out of the squad for the Elche game, but also missed the away game against Manchester City, and then failed to be selected for the Madrid derby - even though he was training normally with the team every day. There were no problems with his condition during training, but he was excluded on match days? The reason was that he had not apologized to the whole team for his accusations against Arbeloa.

Arbeloa is extremely strict on disciplinary issues and insists that this is a collective problem for the locker room, not a private conflict between the player and the coach. Raúl Asensio had apologized to Arbeloa personally, but the coach demanded that he apologize publicly in front of the whole team - no apology, no call-up, but Raúl Asensio believed that he did not need to apologize to his teammates, and even refused to bow his head when Arbeloa directly asked him.

In a team gathering before a training session, Arbeloa publicly asked: \"Does anyone have anything to say?\" Intending to give Raúl Asensio a way to apologize, but the Spanish center-back bowed his head and remained silent, without apologizing. Worse, Asensio's absence began to be linked to \"nightlife\" and \"lack of discipline\" on social media, and the focus of public opinion shifted to \"professional attitude issues\", and rumors had to be stopped.

Raúl Asensio knew that his situation had attracted attention, and if he still did not return to the squad after the international match day, it would be infinitely amplified, so he decided to end the matter completely. He apologized publicly in the locker room. After the apology, he returned to the squad for the match against Mallorca, and then entered the squad against Bayern, but he did not get any playing time in either game.