Real Madrid announces new coach Arbeloa

Mounting pressure, dressing-room unrest, and a widening gap between the squad and management culminated in an inevitable departure. Xabi Alonso’s brief tenure as Real Madrid head coach came to a formal end yesterday, closing a chapter on the club’s short-lived partnership with its former star midfielder. Attention now turns to his successor.

Alvaro Arbeloa, once a stalwart defender for Real Madrid, has been tasked with shaping the club’s future from the sidelines. Before assuming the role of head coach of Castilla, Real Madrid’s reserve side, Arbeloa began his coaching journey within the club’s academy in the 2020/21 season, starting with the Infantil team. Over the years, he progressed steadily through Cadete, Juvenil, and eventually Castilla, before earning his current position with the senior squad.

Arbeloa’s record at the youth level has been exemplary. During the 2022/23 season, he guided the Juvenil team to a historic treble, securing two league titles and going unbeaten across all competitions—a remarkable achievement etched in the club’s record books.

As a player, Arbeloa is best remembered for his long-standing service to Real Madrid, although his career also included stints elsewhere. Beginning in Zaragoza’s youth system, he joined Real Madrid’s academy at 18, later spending a season with Deportivo La Coruña in 2006. He then moved to Liverpool in the Premier League, featuring in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League final, before returning to Madrid for seven further years, collecting one La Liga and two Champions League titles. Arbeloa concluded his playing career with a brief spell at West Ham United in the 2016/17 season.

Arbeloa’s contribution as a coach extends beyond trophies. He has been instrumental in developing a structured pathway for young talent at Real Madrid, with many academy prospects graduating under his guidance. His coaching philosophy emphasises nurturing individual strengths, addressing weaknesses, and fostering players’ full potential.

Tactically, Arbeloa favours possession-based football, controlling the tempo and rhythm of matches, with an emphasis on organised pressing and attacking intent. He is comfortable with both 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 formations, while granting players freedom reminiscent of Carlo Ancelotti’s approach.

Arbeloa also credits former manager José Mourinho for shaping his coaching outlook. In a 2023 interview with The Coaches’ Voice, he praised Mourinho’s exacting standards and uncompromising professionalism, noting that these values strongly influenced his own approach to coaching.

Arbeloa now faces the formidable challenge of steering one of football’s most celebrated clubs, blending his tactical acumen, developmental expertise, and deep connection to the club’s ethos in pursuit of sustained success.