Arbeloa: mad bendy and shit
I’m imagining that Chori saw this picture of Arbeloa’s flexibility and walked into a wall. I don’t blame him. Always good to show ’em what they’re missing! Lots to cover so let’s get to it.
Real Madrid had their first training of the week yesterday in preparation for Sunday’s match against Levante. Looks like training was relatively fun and relaxed.
Today was the second training of the week and 6 internationals returned to work.
Oh hai Zizou!
Illarra, Nacho, Casemiro and Jesus participated in a BWIN clinic for lucky fans today.FROM REALMADRID.COM
Illarra, Nacho, Casemiro and Jesús held a Bwin clinic with Madrid fans
“It is an intimate event and it’s important that those who love this club have a good time with us”, said The Whites’ players at the end of the act.
Illarra, Nacho, Casemiro and Jesús were the protagonists of a meeting with 19 winners of the Bwin Skill Series. The four made the fans’ day by playing with them on pitch nine, whilst also giving them a tour of the Ciudad Real Madrid. Afterwards they all posed for photographs together.
The fans couldn’t hide their joy at sharing a pitch with the players. “It was both fun and special for us. They were so nice”, said Luis Rivillos, who won a shirt signed by the whole team. The winners of the Bwin iniciative came from countries including Spain, Israel, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany and the UK, and were divided into four groups on the pitch.
The first, headed up by Nacho took free kicks. In the second, lead by Casemiro, they fired balls at holes in the goal, which held values of 10, 20 and 30 points. Dodging objects and then scoring were the exercises done alongside Illarra in the third group, whilst Jesús’ players had to try and knock down bottles balanced on the crossbar. To finish, they all played a game.
Illarra: “We’re hoping to win the Champions League”
“They’re fans who follow the side and it’s great to spend some time with them because we can make their dreams of meeting us come true. You have fun and spend a nice bit of time with the fans.
“We all want to win the Champions League, but there’s a long way to go. We are on the right path, we should carry on as we are and we hope to, with help from the fans, get to the win and win the tournament. In the league we started out pretty average, but now we’re in the hunt and we need to carry on playing well to try and achieve our objectives”.
Nacho: “Our objective is to go game by game”
“I have a lot of fun doing these events because it’s important that the fans who love this club can have a good time alongside us”.
“Our objective is to go game by game and it’s hard, but we will try to win the league and the Champions League. The fact the league is so close only spurs us on”.
Jesús: “I’m motivated by sharing a goal with Iker and Diego”
“I feel good because we’ve helped make the dreams of a group of fans come true. You never know, one of them could sign for the team. Some of them are good”.
“We’re very motivated because the league is much tighter than normal. We are top and we will fight all we can to achieve our objective against the other two sides that have the same objective”.
Casemiro: “We’re going to do everything we can to win the league”
“It’s a cosy event that’s great fun. In my group there were some quality players who with the right training could go places. With respect to the league, all I can say is that we will do everything we can to win it”.
Iker was interviewed today at BBVA event and there was a bit of an odd translation on the mothership. However, Iker’s message was clear – telling fans and media to back the fuck off from bashing players. And I think it’s a message a lot of fans need to hear. I get so tired of the nasty comments that I see online. Iker’s exactly right. The manager makes the decisions. End of story. Yes, we all want our favorites to play, but it doesn’t mean they will. But tough titties – it’s not our choice to make. I would have made some different substitutions in the last match, but I’m not the coach. We all think we know better but in the end, there’s not a damn thing that we can do about it and it’s madness to think otherwise. But people will bitch, oh how they will bitch! (Just like I’m doing now). Hey, my favorite player got transferred to Arsenal. Did I wish it happened? Hells no. However, I’m a Real Madrid fan and the team still exists even if he’s no longer on it. I’m not gonna slag off every player/person that I decided may have had something to do with that deal based on some vague tin foil hat shit. I just put on my big girl panties and fucking moved on. You have to, if you love your team. It’s the nature of the beast. Players/coaches come and go. They play, they don’t play. It’s a business and sometimes it feels like there’s no rhyme or reason. I often don’t know why things go down the way they do, but sure as shit, I do know that footy will break your heart a thousand times and put it back together a million more. That’s probably why we love it so much. Anyhow, Iker has spoken. Stop being dicks, people. Support your team and the players who are on the pitch. And obviously, that’s not directed at everyone, but rather some very vocal sections of the fandom who just get their teeth into something and worry it to death. He specifically mentioned Arbeloa, Coentrao & DLo – three players who get a shit ton of hate online. I almost can’t go on Twitter for matches anymore. I can’t believe the vitriol directed at these guys. It’s pretty disgusting. No one is saying you can’t have an opinion, but for the love of all that’s holy, be realistic about it and temper it with some common sense. (I can’t believe some of the conspiracy theories and irrational hate I see each week). Again, we’re not talking about comments like “Damn, I really wish Player X was getting more minutes” It’s more or less a full scale finger pointing blame-a-thon as if any or all of these three guys were completely responsible for New Coke, Guantanamo Bay, telling your little sister there was no Santa Claus and the resurgence of acid washed denim. (The latter is Sergio’s fault, for sure). C’mon folks, they’re not committing kitten homicide, they’re doing their job when their boss tells them to do it just like the rest of us. How many times have we heard the phrase “I don’t make the rules” from someone on the job? Well, neither do they. So let’s give them a break – Iker said so. And he’s looking rather pissy about it too.
FROM REALMADRID.COM
Casillas: “As captain I have to ask for respect for all of the team”
by Diego Jabalquinto
Iker Casillas was the protagonist in an act organised by BBVA in which a new system of evaluating players in the league was presented. The Real Madrid captain spoke about the latest goings-on at the club.
“What we’ve done until now is the minimum asked of us. To be in and to fight for the three competitions. Right now our position is privileged. We are outright leaders, in the final of the cup and, barring a miracle, in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.”
“We have to go game by game. We mustn’t speculate about who will get to the Champions League final in Lisbon. Now we must think about what we have to do in the month of March in order to get to the business end of the season in the best state possible and have it in our own hands”.
The cause of the side’s comeback in the league
“Never give up. Real Madrid are always characterised by that phrase. You must be at your best and not give up. Second is nothing. Between all of us we have tried to cut down the distances, play better and give more attention to the defence. The result is we are now where we wanted to be seven months ago”.
The derby result
“I don’t think it created any doubts. They’re a hard side to beat and we knew that they were going to give their all, it is an important game and we have come out of it. We have to give value to the lead we have. A few months ago we were back. We have come back into contention and are where we want to be. We have to defender our place every week”.
“First as captain I have to ask for respect for all the team, wherever they play. It’s not a question of who has to play. There is a manager and he makes decisions and they shouldn’t be attacked. What Carvajal gives you Arbeloa doesn’t, and what Arbeloa gives you isn’t the same as Carvajal. The same with Marcelo and Coentrão. They are different players but very necessary ones in a squad like Real Madrid. I speak of fullbacks like any other position”.
Rotation in the starting XI
“If the boss has decided that I’m to play in the Copa and the Champions League then I want to do the best I can to help the team and play well. It’s been going on for a few months, and we aren’t always going to be in this situation. Up until now the gaffer has gone with Diego in the league and he has played very well. We are leaders on our own merit and a lot of that is down to Diego”. <<<<— (Lozil says: If Iker can be gracious about it, why can’t everyone else be? It’s directly affecting him, not you – know what I mean?)
“Undervalued, no. When I’m out and about I always receive warm messages. For me this is important. Above all you have to feel valued by yourself. Doing a quick analysis, I don’t know what I’m worth. I think I have at least five more years in front of me as a player. The valuation can be done by others”.
Season’s objectives
“Right now the World Cup is three months away. It’s a fantastic event but right now the reality and day-to-day life is the club. The most important thing is to win titles with Real Madrid. I’m sure that if we win the Décima, lots of Real Madrid players will go to the World Cup. Right now I’m only focusing on the club”.
“I don’t like to talk about the quarterfinals even though we are effectively through. In the quarters of the Champions League there are great teams and players. It could be an interesting draw and I think it will be”.
The future of the national side
“We talk about a lot of things and amongst them is this generation and the time we have spent together. Unfortunately we’re not all going to retire together. I think the veterans are fine. I think the way the national side plays has not changed in the last few years. Those who come in adapt well and those who were here before are enjoying it”.
Puyol’s decision to leave Barcelona
“Puyol’s decision makes you think. Football waits for nobody. He thinks it’s the right time to change and have new experiences. I wish him a lot of luck. He’s a great teammate and professional. We want to see him happy and to be where he wants to”.
Diego Costa’s debut
“It’s difficult when all the attention is focusing on you. He was fine and happy to have made his debut and he wants to carry on. He knows that making it into the squad isn’t easy and what he will have to do in the next months is who in order to for the boss to call him up”. Finally, when asked about José Mourinho’s comments, he said: “He can clear it up there in England. I don’t now what he has said nor what he was referring to”.
And finally, it’s Real Madrid’s 112th birthday! Long may they continue… HALA MADRID!
– Lozil
Of Headbands and Heartbreak
watishistacorrespondents
Of Headbands and Heartbreak... 
Oh man, Luca’s calves are INCREDIBLE. Yummmmmmmmm.
I´m a bit surprised to read about all the Lopez online hate because I mostly encountered massiv Iker hate on message boards and other sites. Some people were furious that Iker was called up for Spain and not Lopez. This was a while ago though so maybe things changed…
It seems like almost every player on every team gets slaughtered for bad perfomances or a dip in form and when there is nothing to critizise then they attack the player´s personality *coughCriscough*. I admit to not liking certain players because I can´t stand their constant antics on the field but I don´t feel the need to bash them online on every message board that exists. I try to stay away from all the online drama . I just don´t want to deal with it or argue back because it usually only makes it worse.
I’m surprised too – not really by what Iker said but by the acceptance here that there’s a lot of Iker hate. Most of the online hate I see Is directed at Iker and, to a lesser extent, Sergio. Arbeloa is lionised and promoted as better captain material. I’ve seen Iker accused of keeping Diego out of the Spain team, of being the reason Arbeloa wasn’t called up this week. The overlap between RM fans and conspiracy theorists seems large!
Sorry, I meant Diego hate
That´s how it seemed to me too though I don´t go on Twitter
(One of the first comments I read on Twitter when Nando started using his account was : I hope your son chokes to death . I got the hell out of there and never looked back.) or Tumblr so maybe all the Diego hate happens there.
The conspiracy theoris do my head in. Again nowadays I just stay away from that. I haven´t read that about Arbeloa but I think the Iker hate and to a lesser extent Sergio hate is because of Mourinho leaving.
I don’t do the hate thing all around. I think one thing that happens a lot is that people assume criticism means hate. But there is a fine line. I critisize all of the players openly on Twitter. But I don’t hate. There is a lot of Diego hate all over Twitter. It litters my timeline every match. Same with Arbeloa hate. I do think it’s crap that Diego hasn’t gotten a call up, but I don’t blame Iker for it.
And the majority of fans hate Mourinho because of the Lopez/Casillas debate. I rarely see it the other way around.
It’s all rather assinine and I think it’s a good thing that Iker said something. I’m not always everyone’s biggest fan, but I love my team. And while they’re there… I love them like family.
-mygypsyspirit (work computers are dumb)
I was talking about full on hatred. Criticizing players is absolutely ok in my book and I do it too. I´ve just mostly read tons of hateful and angry comments directed at Iker and praising ones directed at Lopez but again I guess it depends on the site or the message board. Either way it sucks and takes the enjoyment away…
I for one think that it makes sense that Diego wasn´t called up and it´s not because I think he´s not good enough. He´s 32 though and if Del Bosque wanted to include a new goal keeper into the team he´d opt for De Gea ( at least that´s my line of thinking). Anyone is allowed to disagree though .
I´m totally with you on the last part. Not everyone is my favourite but that doesn´t mean I have to bash them online.
Criticism is fine and I think everyone does it but there is definitely actual hatred out there. I honestly haven’t seen much directed at Diego but I accept it exists. I think unfortunately it is divided in obvious camps – if you were pro-Mou, then you’re pro-Diego, anti-Iker and Sergio, and want Xabi or Arbeloa to be captain. If you were anti-Mou, you’re pro-Iker and probably dislike Arbeloa. It’s a shame to see fans split like this. There’s a real division there and it makes fandom less pleasant for everyone.
I reject the idea that you have to be pro Mou or pro Iker. I accepted Mourinho’s decision and didn’t necessarily disagree with it. That doesn’t mean I’m anti-Iker. I think that you ‘have’ to be one or the other is completely ridiculous and childish. I can be pro-Diego AND pro-Iker, contrary to popular belief. I can also be pro-Mourinho. I think Sergio makes a great captain. I also think Xabi and Arbeloa would make great captains. Why does it have to be divided?
-mygypsyspirit
I agree you can be both pro-Diego and pro-Iker etc. I just meant that there is a perception with some fans that it’s one or the other. I personally don’t think Arbeloa would be a good captain but that doesn’t mean I hate him -far from it. And if seniority meant he was captain I would support him.
I knew what you meant. I was just adding my two cents 😉
My only reason for thinking that it sucks that Diego wasn’t called up is because he’s 32 and it was a friendly. It doesn’t matter. Save your other 3 goal keepers and give the guy a cap…
I get what you mean but you could make the same argument for other players. Spain is blessed to have an enormous amount of talent and that means some talented players will miss out. Diego is a good keeper and I think he was called up a few years back but IMO there’s no reason to take him over Valdes, Reina or De Gea.
I understand where you’re coming from. IMO Diego is better than De Gea. But that’s my opinion
I´m a bit confused since you are both Anonymous lol . I totally agree with the gist though. I´m just over all the drama so I just stopped going on certain sites.
Oh that’s just disgusting. People are such bullies when they’re online. If they were face to face with Nando, they’d say nothing or ask him for his autograph because he’s famous. Cowards. Most of the DLo hate I see is on Twitter – it’s mainly people who are hardcore Iker fans and they appear to feel that if they slag off DLo that makes them a better Iker fan (nah, just makes you a dick). I’ve actually asked people what their problem is with DLo aside from the fact that Ancelotti is playing him the league instead of Iker. The best answer I’ve gotten is “I have my reasons” So IMHO, unless DLo punched out your grandmother or something (If he did, I’ll grab a pitchfork and torch too) that just means that you’re probably pissed that Iker’s not getting the minutes. Tumblr is it’s own world where I only venture to get pictures because…yikes.
The level of conspiracy theorizing is pretty incredible. Here’s some of the ones I’ve heard:
1. Arbeloa is still in cahoots with Mou and injures players on purpose.
2. DLo & Iria are involved in some sort of Machiavellian campaign to wrest the goalkeeper’s spot away from Iker permanently. Apparently Iria is the mastermind of this plot because she has a friend who is a reporter and she supposedly leaks info to that person. I had to laugh over that one because most of the players and their spouses have friends in the media (some of them ARE the media) and yes, many of them do leak info (both players & spouses). If you knew who some of the more frequent leakers were, you’d be VERY surprised but I’ll tell you, it ain’t Iria. Someone actually called her “Lady Macbeth” on Twitter. Seriously?! My jaw dropped when I saw that. Way to be incredibly over the top with the tin foil hat shit. That’s some big time fantasy world that person is living in. I’d rather waste my daydreaming time constructing sex-ay scenarios with the players than some twisted political revenge saga but different strokes for different folks, I guess. The worst part is that some people really believe this shit is happening and spread it around as the truth which just furthers the drama.
3. Mourinho is still secretly sabotaging the team through his “minions” aka Arbeloa and whomever else is out of favor at the moment.
4. They’ve slagged off various wives, partners and children. That’s beyond inappropriate. Some of these arseholes will even directly tweet to the person (player or spouse) and say nasty shit.
Hmmm, what else? Various and sundry slaggings off, so and so is not fit to be at Real Madrid, a captain, a goalkeeper (fill in player’s name – all interchangeable. None of it worth repeating. And it’s endless. And ridiculous. The smallest comment by ANYONE is blown out of proportion and more often than not, taken out of context. I think people are watching too much Game of Thrones. Everything is not some sort of death match. We often see players hug their opponents post match. They leave it on the pitch because they know it’s a game and they’re friends off pitch. But some fans can’t let anything go. (Oh by the way, Arbeloa was accused of fucking up in a game on purpose and the evidence was that he hugged an opponent after the match – see what I mean about the crazy?) For a long time I thought it was just that people online seem incredibly young to me and that’s why they were so hair trigger with their opinions. (I’m a grown up and have worked in the sports industry. I’m a lot more realistic about the business and the people in the industry than many folks.) But then I realized that there are grown ass men who act like complete idiots about sports teams so I had to throw up my hands. I’m at a loss. I’m not sure why people are incapable of intelligently discussing the team as you guys have been doing here and realizing the validity of other people’s opinions. But thank you guys for all being so sane here. It’s much appreciated.
That´s what pisses me off the most. It´s so easy to slag someone off online but would they dare to say that to Nando or anyone else in person? No way in hell!
Well now I´m really glad that I have avoided reading football related stuff on twitter *shudder*.
Honestly I think it´s perfectly fine to prefer one goal keeper to the other or any player really but that doesn´t mean you have to go full Game of Thrones on them or on anyone who disagrees ( as you said ;)) Even though that show is awesome.
Those conspiracy theories just make me speechless. Another one is that Iker is being a baby and a coward and that´s why Lopez didn´t get a call up for the national team. Say what? I didn´t know that Iker held such power over Del Bosque. I can´t stop rolling my eyes when I hear stuff like this. I guess I´m too old for that kind of drama though it sucks to hear that grown-ups participate as well.
I actually love when players hug each other after the match despite being at each other´s throats ( metaphorically speaking) before.
I guess because it means so much to people that they really can’t conceive of the reality which is that this is a business and the players are at their job. They work to get ahead like we do, they have annoyances, office politics, shit days and times where they pull off things. Substitute championships for annual sales quotas and it’s pretty much the same. Heck, in a parallel universe, maybe the average person’s job is sports and they televise the daily goings on at insurance companies and other office jobs. 😉 People treat professional sports as if it is a holy calling and somehow above all these things but no, it’s a business and a job like any other. They just make a metric fuck ton more money than most of us. The tradeoff for that is dealing with the nonsense that comes with the public thinking that you owe them something (your whole life apparently), lack of privacy and public criticism (and often, humiliation). The public puts enormous and mostly unfair pressure on these guys. It’s sad, really.
You are right. Football is a business. Sadly some people seem to mistake it for a soap operah.
Totally – a batshit telenovela. 😉
Funnily enough I´d totally watch the hell out of a tv show about football.
Ha! Me too. As long as the drama stays in the realm of fantasy onscreen, I’m down. 🙂 Just annoyed as hell that I have to wade through it online all the time.
I assume all players – and pretty much everyone connected with the club – leaks at one time or another. And I don’t think that’s unique to RM. I think this is totally normal and not a big deal. Also, I think some fans seem to think all leaking is deliberate and malicious. It completely disregards the fact that for the players, this is just work. This is their job and everyone talks about work, moans about workmates, bitches about the boss. They might mention something to a family member or friend who leaks. It’s not some huge sinister plot.
Thank you! That’s exactly it. but I guess it’s more fun for the drama queens to attach some sinister motivation to everything.
Wow. That’s a whole lot more batshit than what I usually see (which is mostly “Player X sucks!!!!” and variations on the theme), and what I see is plenty annoying. I don’t know why people insist on being so ridiculous.
Those conspiracy theories are really bad… I follow different madridistas on Twitter and receive confusing messages. Iker out of Madrid! Diego is shit! Arbeloa is a “cono” and even I would play better! Diego is best!
I think hate campaign is worst against Arbeloa. Not among madridistas, many of us support him. But Spanish press has been very much against him and also Diego since Arbeloa started voicing support for Mourinho. They make constant ridicule of Arbie and claim that this world champion and twice euro champ can’t play at all and should not play even in second division…
One of the best thing Mou did was buy Diego Lopez. And I think Ancelloti is using his goalkeepers wisely. Diego Lopez has broad La Liga experience, but Iker has more Champions League experience. Now he gets to rotate the two, without tiring one guy having to play 3 matches a week. It makes sense to me. We are lucky to have TWO terrific goalkeepers. Other teams don’t.
Right?? I think it’s odd when people want one or the other gone because why on earth would you want your team to have less talent on its roster? Are there times I don’t agree with who Ancelotti chooses to play? Sure. And I’ll usually point it out afterwards. But I generally think he’s smart, and even if i didn’t, well, it’s not up to me.
Yeah, like our opinion has any effect on Ancelotti’s decisions!
I don’t think it’s a situation that’s sustainable long term and I expect one will leave in the summer, probably Iker (which I personally will find quite hard to take but that’s football). Rotating goalkeepers is very unusual for good reasons and while Carlo seems to have handled it well, it can’t go on indefinitely. Both players deserve to be starters.
Can someone please tell me what mourihno’s comments were pleasssseeeee
They were nothing. Part of a longer interview in Esquire which I guess I should post later. Here’s the pertinent part:
And seriously, he’s not saying anything that we don’t already know. The players themselves have talked about how long Sergio & Cristiano spend in front of the mirror. ::shrugs::
Oo thank you very much! I wonder why I’ m still not used to people trying to instagate shit!!