Under Pressure: Real Madrid’s Arbeloa Stands Up for Mbappé Amidst Criticism

Despite facing scrutiny himself, with Real Madrid nearly certain to finish this season without silverware, Arbeloa asserted that Mbappe has no reason to blame himself. He emphasised that the forward not only scored in both matches of the quarter-final but also “gave his all defensively.”

Real Madrid suffered a 4-3 defeat in a captivating second leg against Bayern Munich, who advanced with a 6-4 aggregate score. The Spanish outfit faced a significant setback when Eduardo Camavinga was shown a red card in the 86th minute.

Following Mbappe’s departure from the field, Bayern managed to net two goals, prompting the backlash against the French international.

However, Arbeloa dismissed these criticisms during his pre-match press conference on Monday.

“I have no issues with Kylian,” stated Arbeloa, whose team is set to face Alaves on Tuesday.

“He performed exceptionally well, scored in both matches, and consistently posed a threat to their defence.

“He truly committed himself in defence and put in a lot of effort.

“I was very pleased with his performance in that match,” the 43-year-old added.

Mbappe, who has accumulated 40 goals in all competitions during his second season in Spain, will have to defer his ambition of winning the Champions League for another year.

This was the very reason he made the move to Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, who cruelly added to his disappointment by clinching the most coveted trophy in European club football last season.

As for Arbeloa’s future, his position remains uncertain, especially as fierce rivals Barcelona lead Real Madrid by nine points in the LaLiga title race with just seven fixtures left to play.

He chose to refrain from commenting on his own prospects, stating that it was beyond his control, but did suggest that a “major overhaul” at Real Madrid isn’t necessary to turn fortunes around in the next season.