Real Madrid's season went from bad to worse on Wednesday when Alvaro Arbeloa's side suffered a humiliating 3-2 defeat to Segunda Division outfit Albacete. It was a shocking night for Los Blancos who crashed out of the Copa del Rey in the last 16.
Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo Garcia twice equalized on the night only for Jefte Betancor to score a 90+4th minute winner. Arbeloa didn't even have the excuse of fielding a weak team as there were many first-team stars who featured in the defeat at Estadio Carlos Belmonte.
One of those was Vinicius Junior who put in arguably his best performance of the season on Sunday. The Brazilian scored a sensational goal in a 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final.
Arbeloa's Vinicius claim falls on deaf ears
Vinicius wasn't on the scoresheet against Albacete and failed to replicate his display in El Clasico. But Arbeloa came out in defense of the Brazilian, suggesting he wasn't to blame for the defeat (via Madrid Zone):
"This is the Vini I want. He took all responsibility and tried to put the team on his back. Tonight's Vini was a captain Vini."
🚨 Alvaro Arbeloa: "THIS is the Vini I want.
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) January 14, 2026
He took all responsibility and tried to put the team on his back.
Tonight's Vini was a CAPTAIN Vini." pic.twitter.com/ceW495GmQ2
Vinicius played the full 90 minutes but failed to help guide his team to victory and was the star man in a team that crumbled against second-tier opposition. He was caught offside twice, successfully completed just four of 10 dribble attempts and won seven of 15 ground duels.
Fans weren't impressed with Arbeloa's comments and made that clear in response. MadridistaTV wrote: "We must have watched different games."
Another X user ridiculed the caretaker boss: "He is trying the "Praise Vini" gimmick hoping it will work. You will be cooked if you think you can do better than the previous guy."
One added: "Vini was awful tonight. Is he serious?!"
The 25-year-old has been heavily criticised this season amid poor performances and an 18-game goal drought which ended against Barca. But it feels as though Arbeloa was trying to steer scrutiny away from the player when he deserved just as much of the blame as the caretaker manager and his players.
Madrid's Vinicius defense mechanism
Vinicius hasn't been good enough this season, that much is clear, and having proven his talent for years at the Estadio Bernabeu, he is rightly being called out for his nosedive. Everybody knows how good the Brazilian is when at his best but when he's underperforming he deserves to be put on notice.
Arbeloa's comments come after Xabi Alonso's dismissal on Monday and reports indicate that the Spanish coach held a tumultuous relationship with the player. Perhaps Alonso wasn't willing to be the yes man that Florentino Perez and the board wanted him to be.
Vinicius' future remains a hot topic of discussion with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2027. That's why it feels as though the club are going to every length to keep the Brazil international happy and that includes acting as though there isn't a problem.