He replaces the sacked Xabi Alonso.<\/span> And after a nightmarish debut, the front page of Spanish sports daily Marca on Thursday read “A complete failure” over a photo of Arbeloa looking depressed.<\/p>\nIf anyone knows the dangers of underestimating the pitfalls of the Copa del Rey, it’s Arbeloa.<\/p>\n
He won multiple titles with Madrid as a hard-working right-back, but also suffered one of the worst defeats in the club’s illustrious history, a 4-0 loss to third-tier Alcorc\u00f3n in 2009. Since then, he has become known in Spanish sports circles as “Alcorconazo”.<\/p>\n
He now needs to rebuild a team that has yet to win a major title since Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 arrived two summers ago, maximize its potential and lift a La Liga or Champions League trophy. Alonso proved unable to inspire a group that finished without a trophy last season under coach Carlo Ancelotti.<\/p>\n
Arbeloa and his players are expected to receive a rough reception from disgruntled Madrid fans when Levante visit La Liga on Saturday.<\/p>\n
After the defeat against Albacete, Arbeloa said: “If anyone is to blame for this defeat, it’s me, because it was me who made the decisions about the line-up, how we wanted to play and the changes we made.” “I’m trying to get them (the players) back up physically and mentally. We have to get better and go into Saturday’s game.”<\/p>\n
key match<\/h2>\n
Relegation-threatened Levante looks like an easy win for Madrid at the Santiago Bernab\u00e9u. However, the same could be said for Albacete, who sit 17th in the second division standings out of 22 teams.<\/p>\n
Levante also has reason to hope they can pull off another upset for the struggling giants. The Valencia-based side are unbeaten in three games, their last away game being a 3-0 win against Sevilla in Luis Castro’s debut as manager.<\/p>\n
Madrid are in second place, four points behind Barcelona, \u200b\u200bwho will face Real Sociedad, who are unbeaten in two games under American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Third-placed Villarreal will play Real Betis on Saturday. They are four points behind Madrid with one game left.<\/p>\n
Featured players<\/h2>\n
Madrid’s entire squad will be under scrutiny against Levante after back-to-back defeats to Barcelona and Albacete in the Spanish Super Cup final, which was Alonso’s last game.<\/p>\n
However, Arbeloa’s decision will also be in the spotlight. Against Albacete, star player Jude Bellingham, regular starter Aur\u00e9lien Choameny and forward Rodrygo were completely removed from the squad, with only heavyweights Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde included in the starting lineup.<\/p>\n
It will therefore be a surprise to see Bellingham and Choameny return to midfield for Saturday’s kick-off, with Thibaut Courtois not seen back in goal.<\/p>\n
Activity suspended<\/h2>\n
Mbappe has been ruled unable to play against Albacete as he aims to make a full recovery from a left knee sprain. The league’s top scorer only featured briefly in the final 15 minutes against Barcelona, \u200b\u200bbut other than that he has already missed three games for Madrid this month. It is unclear whether he will be ready to play against Levante.<\/p>\n
off the field<\/h2>\n
After the team’s embarrassing loss, Arbeloa said the team he inherited from Alonso was far from its best.<\/p>\n
“Physically there’s a lot of room for improvement. That’s why (trainer) Antonio (Pintus) is there to give us something,” he said. “For me and for Antonio, physically we need to get back to our best footballing condition. I think that’s what we need.”<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP Soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
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