Álvaro Arbeloa takes full responsibility for Real Madrid’s loss.
Coach Álvaro Arbeloa stated that the blame for Real Madrid’s unexpected 2-1 loss at Mallorca rests “entirely on me” after his team allowed a goal in the 91st minute, further widening the gap with rivals Barcelona in the LaLiga title chase.
Manu Morlanes gave Mallorca a 1-0 lead in the first half at Son Moix, but an equalizer from substitute Éder Militão in the 88th minute offered Madrid a glimmer of hope, before forward Vedat Muriqi secured all three points for the home team in stoppage time.
This outcome left Madrid four points adrift of Barça, who were scheduled to face Atlético Madrid later on Saturday.
“This loss is mine, entirely my responsibility,” Arbeloa remarked during his post-match press conference. “What I need from [the players] is for them to focus on Tuesday’s match [against Bayern Munich in the Champions League]. I am the one who makes the decisions, and this defeat is solely the fault of the Real Madrid coach… Once they leave the locker room, their only focus should be on Bayern.”
play2:54Has Real Madrid’s loss to Mallorca ruined their LaLiga title hopes?
Alejandro Moreno comments on Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Mallorca in LaLiga.
Arbeloa opted to leave Vinícius Júnior — whom he had indicated was fatigued following the international break — and Jude Bellingham out of the starting lineup, bringing both on as substitutes in the second half as Madrid sought an equalizer.
Madrid approached the Mallorca match with confidence, having achieved five consecutive victories across all competitions, including eliminating Manchester City in the Champions League and defeating Atlético 3-2 in the derby prior to the international break.
“[The title race] is more challenging than it was before the match began,” Arbeloa acknowledged. “We have eight matchdays remaining, and regardless of the league standings, as I informed the players, our goal is to win all eight remaining matches. We must perform better than we did today.”
Arbeloa characterized the choice to exclude Bellingham — who has been recuperating from a hamstring injury — from the squad as “normal,” noting that the midfielder was also left out by England coach Thomas Tuchel for their two friendly matches.
“He has been sidelined for several weeks,” Arbeloa explained. “Against Atlético, he played 20 minutes. The plan is for him to continue regaining match fitness. He cannot be at his peak without playing regularly. We need to be patient with him.”
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Mallorca forward Muriqi was emotional after netting the winning goal for his team, having experienced disappointment in the World Cup qualifying playoffs with Kosovo, where they were defeated by Türkiye on Tuesday.
“I may appear tough, but I am human,” Muriqi stated. “I missed a penalty against Elche [on March 21] in a challenging match. Then I failed to qualify for the World Cup in a final [with Kosovo], which has been my lifelong dream.
“Today, with this goal, winning 2-1… When you analyze the fixtures and do the calculations [at the beginning of the season], you would expect zero points against Real Madrid. Securing a victory against them, the best team in the world, means a great deal.”
