Arbeloa made his debut at the Belmonte, and it did not come with a happy ending. Madrid went down in emphatic fashion, the youth academy did not pull off a miracle, and the coach did something unusual by taking full responsibility without reaching for excuses.
Arbeloa’s debut ends with a harsh setback and complete self-criticism
Rather than hiding after the defeat, the coach stood firm and shielded his players from the very first moment, stressing that he would stick with the same lineup and decisions even if the scoreboard told a different story.
Amid reflections on failure, lessons learned, and a great deal of postgame calm, Arbeloa made it clear that losing also teaches valuable lessons, even though it stings far more when it happens on day one.
