Support for Arbeloa, rocket for the players: How Real Madrid chiefs reacted

Transfers, future coaches, changes to the roster… Right now everything is on the table, but the truth is that the only real solution to the situation Real Madrid finds itself in is to salvage what’s already there. In the short term, there’s simply no alternative - or at least that’s how people inside Valdebebas see it. Before Saturday’s LaLiga match against Levante, the players will receive a loud and clear message from the club’s leadership: with Xabi Alonso no longer in the picture, the responsibility for what’s happening now falls squarely on them.

Faith in Arbeloa despite Copa embarrassment

Club executives see things plainly. They know they’re obliged to rebuild the team with the future in mind, but on January 15, that’s not something that can happen overnight. Head coach Álvaro Arbeloa has the club’s confidence, and that isn’t going to change. Agents continue to offer players, and even though the plan is not to dip into the market, the door will remain open until the end of the month. The carousel of potential future coaches will keep spinning as the summer approaches - with Jürgen Klopp at the center - but names like Enzo Maresca, Mauricio Pochettino and even Zinedine Zidane, already deep into becoming the next France national team manager, will also circulate. Real Madrid has its eyes open, and third parties keep making inquiries, but nothing is moving beyond that for now.

Alonso exit “should have come sooner”

A particular line of thinking has taken hold in Valdebebas about the timing of the coaching change. Some argued for making the move in early December. Others pushed to wait things out (and ultimately won), hoping for a shift that never arrived. What happened in Albacete has vindicated those who believed the turning point had come after the 2-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo on Dec. 7. “The decision to part ways with Xabi Alonso and bring in Álvaro Arbeloa should have come sooner” was the most repeated sentiment on that disastrous Wednesday night - one that began in fog and ended in darkness.

No one can say what would have happened in both Jeddah and La Mancha, but that’s the view inside the club after the events of the last four days - a stretch that has seen Madrid drop out of contention for two trophies and surrender its competitive dignity by losing to a second‑division side like Albacete, not merely because of the defeat itself but because of the manner in which it unfolded.

Alcorcón, Alcoyano, and now Albacete have become part of Real Madrid’s negative folklore. These were memories thought long buried, but the setback at the Estadio Belmonte has left the club’s leadership facing the near‑impossible task of reviving the squad after already playing their biggest card: changing the coach.

The biggest problem for the front office is that Arbeloa’s position has been weakened. Unfairly so - but that’s soccer. Madridistas may not dream of winning the Copa del Rey, but they certainly have nightmares about bowing out like this. The Bernabéu will pass judgment on Saturday at 8 a.m. ET, and the players know they’re going to have to absorb whatever comes their way.

As for the club’s sporting strategy, they maintain it is still the best possible approach - the same one that has produced six Champions League titles in 11 years. The club signs the players, and its technical structure will continue to set the team’s course above any individual manager. The diagnosis is clear, and from within, there’s no apocalyptic view of the squad’s quality. It will be reinforced with a defensive midfielder and a center back heading into next season, but don’t expect a sweeping overhaul - those never actually arrive.