The Real Madrid players have finally got what they wanted… and it shows

This is a different Real Madrid. One week has been enough for that sense of change to reach every corner of the soccer world, even those who were most vocal after last Saturday’s debacle against Levante at the Bernabéu. 

There is no doubt about the transformation. Nor is there any doubt about who is responsible. It is the members of the first-team squad, the same players, not all of them, who wished Xabi Alonso well on social media when he said goodbye.

This revolution also includes the novelty factor of Arbeloa, who brings his own contribution, but the real reason Real Madrid have rediscovered the intensity they had lost is the players themselves. Those who pull on the shirt. Some will say it is simply the law of football, but the tyranny that players sometimes impose on everything around them has once again been confirmed. At Valdebebas, they spotted it some time ago and decided accordingly to make a change on the bench.

Now the players run, press and move in the same direction. Is there a magic formula? Has Arbeloa applied it, along with his new ally Pintus? Is it the post-match pizzas? The players have felt freed from certain demands that Alonso tried to impose, demands that work at other clubs. It is that simple. What Arbeloa has done is apply what has worked in the Real Madrid locker room this century, closeness to the players and backing them both on the pitch and in the press room, alongside the obvious work of preparing matches.

Competing for LaLiga and the Champions League

In the first days of December, the idea of a necessary coaching change was already being quietly floated within the club. Those in charge knew firsthand that it was not working and that it was only a matter of time. They were aware that Xabi Alonso’s relationship with much of the squad was never going to click. That became clear during the extra month he was given. The players did not want it and Alonso could not make it work.

Arbeloa has achieved what his friend Xabi Alonso could not, starting with the players’ trust. Order and commitment have allowed Real Madrid to become competitive again and for the players to show that they are enjoying themselves on the pitch once more, with Vinicius and his impending contract renewal the clearest symbol of the change. Those upstairs are in no doubt. They believe Real Madrid can compete for LaLiga and the Champions League and they will do so with the squad they currently have. The door is closed in this transfer window.