Arbeloa Is Starting To Find His Rhythm

When Real Madrid appointed Alvaro Arbeloa in lieu of Xabi Alonso mid-season, there was little hope or optimism for a turnaround. The club churned in one of its worst seasons in modern history two seasons ago, under Carlo Ancelotti. One season later, they turned to Alonso, an entirely different kind of manager, to fix the problems and bring in a new vision.

That experiment lasted half a season. So, there was little optimism when he was sacked. If both Ancelotti — one of the greatest managers in football history — and Alonso — a club legend and up-and-coming tactician — couldn’t make it work, how could a Castilla manager with no experience be the man to turn the sinking ship around?

SUBSCRIBE: The Managing Madrid Podcast on YouTube It will be fascinating to see where Arbeloa will be this summer. How successful will he be in the next two months? Does he pull off a major title?

Whatever you think about him, if he does that, it will be impressive — especially with the amount of injuries he’s had to navigate, and because he was asked to put out a raging fire in a house that was up in flames. If he does win the league or the Champions League, it wouldn’t make sense sacking him. If he comes up short in both, but the process is promising by the end of the campaign, there’s still a chance he stays — especially if the players back him.