When Alvaro Arbeloa was appointed as interim manager following the sacking of Xabi Alonso, many questioned if he was the right man to steady the ship at the Bernabeu. Having only managed the youth side, Arbeloa faced an uphill battle from day one, but the manager has started to win over many at the club, and the players have made their stance known as the club looks for their next full-time manager in the summer.
As being reported by Marca (via MadridXtra on X) the majority of the Real Madrid squad is now in favor of Alvaro Arbeloa staying as the full-time manager next season. The coach has won over the full support of the dressing room and his influence carries significant weight among the players.
Real Madrid squad makes their stance on Alvaro Arbeloa's future known
Arbeloa's time as interim manager got off to the worst start possible, a 3-2 loss to Segunda Division side Albacete, knocking Los Blancos out of the Copa del Rey. The manager looked out of his depth after the first match, leading many to question if Real made the wrong choice with their interim manager.
However Arbeloa has been proving those wrong. While he has suffered losses to Albacete, Benfica, Osasuna, and Getafe, he's won 13 of his 17 matches in charge, including wins over Jose Mourinho's Benfica, a dominant two leg performance against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, and a gutsy 3-2 comeback victory in the Madrid derby against bitter city rivals Atletico Madrid.
Arbeloa seems to have lit a fire under the players and has them playing more as a unified team, something Xabi Alonso struggled to do during his time in charge. Alonso's biggest struggle was winning over the dressing room and convincing the players of his system, something Arbeloa has found much success with. He's managed to find a balance among the 'Galacticos' players in the squad, keeping them all happy whilst also maintaining a solid display on the pitch.
Winning over the dressing room was always going to be the biggest hurdle for Arbeloa getting the full-time job and he's cleared it with flying colors, which could play a huge part once the summer rolls around. The club is still assesing other options like Jurgen Klopp or Massemilliano Allegri to be the full-time manager next season, but with all the success Arbeloa is finding both on and off the pitch, the club can't risk making the players unhappy and disrupting things by getting rid of Arbeloa in favor of someone else.