Transcript: Alvaro Arbeloa Defends Star Players After Real Madrid's Loss To Benfica

Real Madrid crashed to a 4-2 loss against Benfica in the final league phase game of the Champions League. Despite starting the night in third place, the loss left them with nothing, giving Los Blancos a playoff spot.

Head coach Álvaro Arbeloa agreed that Real Madrid were far from their best, which meant Benfica deserved the win. The Spaniard knows the team still have work to do, and consistency is the key.

The Madrid boss leaped to the defence of both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., who faced criticism from the media.

Arbeloa: "We couldn't measure up to what we needed to."
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 28, 2026

Alvaro Arbeloa spoke to the media after Real Madrid's devastating loss to Benfica in the Champions League. (per Real Madrid).

“Clearly, today we were far from where we wanted to be, given the difficulty of the match, the demands of the opponent, the atmosphere, what was at stake for them, and what was at stake for us. I think we weren't able to perform at the level required for 90 minutes. Before coming here, we knew we had a lot of work to do, a lot to improve, and we're aware that we still have a long way to go. To win these kinds of matches, you have to do many things well, not just one, and you have to do them consistently for 90 minutes.”
Alvaro Arbeloa

Q: Is what happened today the strangest thing that's ever happened to you on a football pitch?

Arbeloa: “It's not the first time a goalkeeper has scored against me. Obviously, they had to take a risk; we were playing with two fewer players and we also needed to score a goal to be in the top 8. They took a risk, we did too, and in the end they won.”

Alvaro Arbeloa — IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Q: Benfica's performance and the final embrace with Mourinho:

Arbeloa: “It didn't surprise me at all. I said it yesterday in this press room and in the various interviews I gave, that the demands of the match were going to be very high. I was perfectly aware of the level of the opponent, the atmosphere that would be there, and the coach we would be facing. I told the players, but obviously I wasn't able to convey to them what I wanted them to do on the field. When things don't go well, when the team is far from the level we showed, for example, in Villarreal, the responsibility is always and absolutely mine because I wasn't able to get the players to approach the match the way I wanted. And the rest, that's between José and me.”

Q: What self-criticism do you have of the last 15 days?

Arbeloa: “I just said it, I don't know if you heard me. I am responsible for the defeat, just as I was in Albacete. I don't know if you were at those two press conferences, but I said it and I'll say it again: I feel completely responsible when things don't go well and we don't achieve our objective. It's not like we've been eliminated from the Champions League . We have two games ahead of us and we're going to approach them with the goal of advancing to the next round.”

Q: You opted for Cestero and didn't bring on Ceballos, for example. Was there a problem or was it a tactical decision?

Arbeloa: “It was a tactical decision. We needed the changes because we didn't want a repeat of the situation with Raúl. They all had yellow cards. Álvaro, Dean, Raúl, and I wanted to protect the team because I knew that in some attacks they could get past us and we'd have to commit a foul to stop a counter-attack, and we'd be at risk of being sent off. In the end, Raúl got a yellow card, and that's why the changes were made. Obviously, I have a lot of confidence in Jorge, complete confidence in the player he is, and for the match and how we were playing, he was a great fit. That's it, nothing more to it, they were purely tactical decisions.”

“I don't regret any of my statements because it reflects what I believe. If your reasoning is that today's game went this way because the two forwards didn't run enough, I completely disagree.”
Alvaro Arbeloa

Q: Do you think the team lacked intensity?

Arbeloa: “We lacked many things. It was a Champions League match , Champions League level, against a team we knew was fighting for its life, that needed to win, that was doing so in front of its home crowd, and that not only showed intensity, but also defended very well, attacked very well, and as I said before, I can't give you just one reason. I think we lacked many footballing qualities to have taken the three points, won the match, and beaten Benfica today.”

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