Madrid [Spain], January 14: Alvaro Arbeloa gave his first press conference on Tuesday after being named as the new Real Madrid coach on Monday just minutes after the club announced that Xabi Alonso had left the club in the wake of the club's defeat to FC Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup final.
The former player and B-team coach said it was "a special day," and that although he was "aware of the responsibility," he was "very excited," at what lay ahead.
He insisted he still retained his friendship with Alonso remained intact and said he would be in charge for as long as the club wanted.
"I've been here for 20 years and I'll be here as long as Real Madrid wants me to be. This is my home," said Arbeloa.
One of the reasons for Alonso's departure is thought to be his poor relationship with several players, especially Vinicius Jr, but Arbeloa insisted there was no lack of commitment among the squad.
"We've all seen in the last few matches how they gave everything in the Supercup...We have a great squad with guys willing to do anything," he said.
Arbeloa also said he didn't expect any problems dealing with star players such as Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Kyliam Mbappe.
"It's not something that worries me much. We have a squad with great players and they're all really good guys. Nobody is more interested in winning titles than the players themselves," he pointed out
Finally, Arbeloa insisted that Real Madrid still had options in La Liga, where it trails FC Barcelona by four points, in the Champions League and in the Copa del Rey where he will make his debut as coach away to Albacete on Wednesday.
"There's still a season ahead, and we're in a great position in all the competitions. What worries me is having everyone available, getting to know each other, working with the players," he commented, adding that the most important thing was that the players "enjoy themselves on the pitch."
Source: Xinhua News Agency