BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Álvaro Arbeloa tried to leave his mark on Real Madrid in his first game in charge.
He got burned.
A Madrid with youngsters who played for Arbeloa on Madrid’s reserve team crashed out of the Copa del Rey round of 16 to second-division Albacete 3-2 on Wednesday.
Arbeloa was promoted from within on Monday to replace the fired Xabi Alonso and, following his nightmare debut, Thursday’s front page of Spanish sports daily Marca read “Total Debacle” over a photo of a despondent-looking Arbeloa.
If anyone should know the dangers of underestimating the pitfalls of the Copa del Rey, it should be Arbeloa.
While he won multiple titles with Madrid as a hard-working right back, he was also part of one of the worst defeats in the club’s glorious history, 4-0 to third-tier Alcorcón in 2009 that ever since has been known in Spanish sports as the “alcorconazo.”
Now he must revive a team that has yet to win a major title since Kylian Mbappé arrived two summers ago to show its full potential and lift either the La Liga or Champions League trophy. Alonso proved unable to inspire a group that finished last season trophyless under Carlo Ancelotti.
Arbeloa and his players can expect a rough welcome on Saturday from disgruntled Madrid fans when Levante visits in La Liga.
“If anyone is responsible for this defeat it’s me, as I’m the one who made the decisions regarding the lineup, how we wanted to play, the changes,” Arbeloa said after the Albacete defeat. “I’m trying to get them (the players) back on their feet, both physically and mentally. We have to improve and go for Saturday’s game.”
Key matches
Relegation-threatened Levante looks like an easy win for Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. But the same was said of Albacete, which sits in 17th place in the 22-team second-division standings.
Levante also has its reasons to hope for delivering another upset of the reeling giant. The Valencia-based team is unbeaten in three games and its last away game was a 3-0 victory at Sevilla in the debut of coach Luís Castro.
Madrid is in second place, four points behind Barcelona, which visits a Real Sociedad on Sunday that hasn’t lost in two games under American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo.
Third-placed Villarreal is at Real Betis on Saturday. It is four points behind Madrid and a game in hand.
Players to watch
The entire Madrid squad will be under scrutiny against Levante following consecutive defeats to Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, which was Alonso’s last game, and Albacete.
But all eyes also will be on Arbeloa’s decision making. He left star Jude Bellingham, regular starter Aurélien Tchouaméni and forward Rodrygo entirely off his squad for the Albacete game and included only heavyweights Vinícius Júnior and Federico Valverde in his starting lineup.
So it would be a surprise not to see Bellingham and Tchouaméni return to the midfield and Thibaut Courtois back in goal at kickoff on Saturday.
Out of action
Mbappé was ruled unavailable for the Albacete match as he tries to fully recover from a left knee sprain. The league top scorer has made only one brief appearance – the final 15 minutes against Barcelona – while otherwise missed three games for Madrid already this month. It is not known if he will be ready to go against Levante.
Off the field
Speaking after his team’s embarrassing loss, Arbeloa said the team he inherited from Alonso was far from top form.
“Physically, we have a lot of room for improvement and that’s what (trainer) Antonio (Pintus) is there for, to give us something extra,” he said. “We need to get back to our best footballing form for me and physically for Antonio, which I think we need.”
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