Marca published an article summarizing the tense internal relations at Real Madrid this season, revealing that Álvaro Arbeloa has had direct conflicts with as many as six players.
【Camavinga Leads the Charge】
Eduardo Camavinga was the first player to publicly express dissatisfaction. Early in Arbeloa's tenure, he objected to a substitution decision and lodged a formal protest directly with the coach. This friction has left their relationship cold and distant to this day. Far from backing down, Arbeloa further moved youth academy midfielder Tiago Pitarch ahead of Camavinga in the pecking order.
【Carvajal's Complete Break】
Dani Carvajal had long been dissatisfied with Xabi Alonso before redirecting his anger toward Arbeloa. On February 1 against Rayo Vallecano, he spent the entire match on the bench, igniting the conflict between the captain and the new coach.
A week later, in the away match against Valencia, Arbeloa started youth player David Jiménez, leaving both Carvajal and the recently recovered Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench. After the match, Carvajal's intense conversation with fitness coach Antonio Pintus clearly demonstrated his fury.
On the day of their return to training, the two held a tense conversation that failed to resolve their differences and instead confirmed their complete break. Since then, Carvajal has been consigned to the bench for long periods, with his only start in a major match coming when Alexander-Arnold was stripped of his starting spot against Atlético Madrid for arriving late before the game.
【Carreras' Direct Protest】
After the heavy Champions League defeat to Benfica, Álvaro Carreras felt he had been made a scapegoat. In the next match against Rayo Vallecano, he not only lost his starting position but didn't play a single minute. Immediately after the game, he stormed into the coach's dressing room at the Santiago Bernabéu, demanding an explanation from Arbeloa.
This impromptu meeting directly caused Arbeloa to arrive significantly late for his post-match press conference. Despite this clash, Carreras has continued to receive playing time, though his starting spot has been taken by Ferland Mendy, and Fran García has now also moved ahead of him in the pecking order. He has been on the bench for two consecutive matches and will most likely remain there for the upcoming El Clásico, becoming fully embroiled in controversy.
【Alaba's Anger】
David Alaba has become another major problem for Arbeloa in the dressing room. The center-back has also been frustrated by his lack of playing opportunities, expressing his dissatisfaction as early as early February.
He believes he has been almost completely overlooked and has made his grievances known to the coach face-to-face. Following the conflict, Alaba's situation has shown no improvement, and the two now have virtually no communication. Alaba's contract expires in June, and he will not play for Real Madrid again.
【Asensio's Exclusion】
On March 11, the "Asensio Incident" quietly erupted. After being dropped from the starting lineup against Manchester City, Marco Asensio directly confronted Arbeloa. A few days later, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse: originally scheduled to return to the starting lineup for the next match against Elche, Asensio arrived at the coach's office with the team doctor on match day, claiming he was suffering from muscle discomfort and couldn't play. This move greatly displeased Arbeloa, and Antonio Rüdiger, who was originally planned to be rested, was particularly furious.
Subsequently, Asensio was omitted from the matchday squads for the games against Elche, the away match against Manchester City, and the Madrid derby, despite training normally every day. The reason was his refusal to apologize to the entire team for confronting the coach.
The deadlock lasted for a long time until Asensio finally apologized to the entire team, especially to Rüdiger, after which he was included in the squad for the match against Mallorca. However, since then, he has only received one playing opportunity.
【Ceballos' Disrespectful Farewell】
"I have cut off all contact with the coach." On April 23, Dani Ceballos bid farewell to Real Madrid with these words. Since then, he has been completely excluded from the squad and will leave the club at the end of the season. Everything stemmed from the day before the match against Real Betis, when Ceballos voluntarily entered the coach's office, and upon exiting, publicly admitted in the dressing room that he had told Arbeloa he wanted no further relationship with him.
He hinted at personal grievances between them and believed he would no longer be called up to the team. This unpleasant confrontation was initiated by the player himself. Although the club was reluctant to create further problems after learning of the incident, it upheld the coach's decision as usual. Ceballos' behavior was deemed a serious disciplinary offense, and he has been completely excluded from Arbeloa's plans.
