Alvaro Arbeloa has urged his Real Madrid players to channel their anger positively in Sunday's El Clasico against Barcelona, as a turbulent week could culminate in their bitter rivals clinching the LaLiga title at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Barcelona need just a point to secure the championship with three games remaining, sitting 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid. The pressure on Arbeloa has intensified following a series of internal incidents.
On Thursday, the club fined Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni 500,000 euros each after a training-ground altercation that left captain Valverde with a head injury, sidelining him for up to two weeks. Defender Antonio Rudiger reportedly apologised to the squad for another clash, while star striker Kylian Mbappe was involved in a heated exchange with a coaching staff member acting as an assistant referee in a training match.
Speaking at a press conference, Arbeloa said: "It's clear that frustration and anger can lead to situations we don't want, but we have to channel that frustration and anger into playing a great game tomorrow. That's where we need to focus our energy."
Reports suggest former manager Jose Mourinho has been lined up as a potential replacement for Arbeloa, who accepted responsibility for the turmoil. "I am responsible for everything that happens at Real Madrid, and if you want to point the finger at someone, here I am," he added. "For me, the most serious thing, and what hurts me the most, is that what happens in the Real Madrid dressing room should stay in the Real Madrid dressing room. These are situations that don't represent Real Madrid because they shouldn't happen, but of course I've experienced worse. In the end, we had the bad luck that it ended with Fede suffering a cut. The club handled the matter very well, and the players have accepted the consequences and apologised. From now on, I'm only thinking about tomorrow's match."
Mbappe, who also faced criticism for a trip to Italy with his partner, has returned to training after a hamstring injury and is expected to feature in the crucial encounter.
