Real Madrid interim head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has identified the errors his team made that led to their defeat against FC Bayern Munich in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Tuesday night, news.ng reports.
Giving his assessment of the performance, Arbeloa noted that the errors could have been avoided, but his team overlooked them despite knowing the quality of their opponents.
He explained, “We made two mistakes, two turnovers, which we had discussed before the match and during halftime that we needed to avoid, and above all, be better prepared to close down if they occurred.”
He noted that once these errors are committed, the consequences are severe—conceding goals, which will ultimately lead to defeat.
Amid the errors committed, the interim boss noted that his side were able to reduce the deficit, with Kylian Mbappé finding the back of the net in the 74th minute.
“Against this type of team, if you make these mistakes, you pay for them. This is what we need to confront.
“It’s clear that we scored a goal that gave us hope, and the pity was not converting one of the chances we had,” he said.
As Madrid tries to recover from last night’s defeat, they will be looking ahead to the return leg in Munich next Wednesday with a one-goal deficit.
The coach expressed confidence, banking on his star-studded team, with the likes of Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, and Antonio Rudiger.
He explained, “For the second leg, I rely on my players. There were situations at 1-2 where the eagerness to equalise… You need to keep a cooler head because 1-3 would have been much harder.
“I also admire my team’s ambition, not to want to lose, knowing you’re at home and continuing to attack. It’s a shame we couldn’t take advantage of a few more chances.
“Of course, I have great confidence in going to Germany and winning.”
