Real Madrid changed their coach in the middle of the season, but the atmosphere in the dressing room did not immediately improve. New reports in the Spanish media indicate that this pressure is also affecting the results.
As is known, the club made a drastic decision regarding the head coach in mid-January: Xabi Alonso parted ways and Alvaro Arbeloa was appointed as the head coach. The club officially announced this, and international sports publications also covered the change.
Now, according to reports citing Sport.es, Real Madrid players are skeptical about some of Arbeloa's decisions. That is, internal discussions on tactical choices, to what extent to trust whom of the players, how to behave in certain episodes - such aspects have become more intense.
According to the source, this situation is similar to the "locker room effect" that has been observed at Real Madrid before. That is, there is a view that mechanisms have been formed that allow some experienced or highly respected players to indirectly influence the coach's decisions. For this reason, Arbeloa is said to be having difficulty fully implementing his ideas.
Interestingly, it is also noted that this is not a "new problem": a similar background was mentioned during the time of Xabi Alonso and around Carlo Ancelotti's last season at the club. That is, even if the coach changes, internal psychological skills and "management burden" do not disappear overnight.
At the same time, there is one important nuance in the reports: the players do not openly express their dissatisfaction or questions in public. From the outside, everything seems to be calm, but from the inside, it is noted that the issues of trust and acceptance have not yet fully settled.
For Alvaro Arbeloa, this situation is doubly difficult: there are also opinions that he does not have extensive experience in consistently managing a team with big stars. For a young coach, more important than tactics is to quickly accumulate "respect capital" in the dressing room. Because at Real Madrid, sometimes the mood decides faster than the game - and this is no secret to anyone.
Now the question is: can Arbeloa turn this pressure to his advantage and unite the team in one direction? If the results stabilize in the coming weeks, trust will also be restored. If there are successive "shocks", internal doubts may increase even more. In short, the main battleground at Real Madrid right now is not only the pitch, but also the dressing room.
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