Alvaro Arbeloa Blames Himself For Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey Exit To Albacete

Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has taken full responsibility for the club’s shock Copa del Rey elimination following a 3-2 defeat to second division Albacete.

The loss on Wednesday night ended Real Madrid’s cup run at the Round of 16 stage and marked a difficult first outing for Arbeloa, who only stepped into the role this week after the dismissal of Xabi Alonso.

Speaking after the match, Arbeloa did not shy away from the outcome, insisting the blame lay squarely with him.

“If anyone is to blame for this result, it’s definitely me, the one who made the choices about the team selection, the way we wanted to play, and the substitutions,” he said.

“I’m not afraid of failure. I understand that anyone who wants to call this defeat a failure is doing so. Failure is part of the journey toward success. It will help me grow, and it will help everyone else grow too.

“I’ve endured defeats harder than this one. We will give our full effort to prepare for the next game.”

Arbeloa, who previously coached Madrid’s B team, was thrust into the senior role following Alonso’s exit after just seven months in charge. Alonso was sacked in the wake of a defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa.

The former Spain international is no stranger to the club. He featured for Los Blancos during two spells as a player, first between 2004 and 2005 and later from 2009 to 2016.

On the pitch, goals from Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo Garcia were not enough to rescue Madrid, as Albacete struck through Javi Villar and a brace from Jefte to seal one of the most memorable wins in their recent history.

According to Diario AS, Arbeloa again accepted responsibility when addressing the media.

“Always, at this club, a draw is bad, a tragedy. It’s painful and I’m sure all our fans are hurt,” he said. “I’m responsible and guilty. As for the line-up, the changes. I can only thank the players. And to recover for Saturday.

“At yesterday’s press conference, I said it. I’m not afraid of failure. And I understand anyone who wants to describe this defeat as a failure. Failure is on the road to success. It will make me better. It will make us all better.”

The coach also defended his decision to rest key figures such as Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, maintaining that the squad selected was strong enough for the task.

“I was convinced that the list was the right one. The players that were there were a great team,” Arbeloa said. “With a new coach’s day, it’s hard to do everything I’ve asked of them. We have many players to recover to their maximum physical level.”

Asked how he would explain the defeat to club president Florentino Perez, Arbeloa said, “He doesn’t need an explanation. He knows more about all this than I do. He knows the history of this club. We are a winning club. We have had painful defeats and here we only look forward.”

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