Press reports indicated a tense atmosphere and division within the team real madrid The Spaniard, with the spotlight on German defender Antonio Rudiger.
In a report in the newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, an “explosive atmosphere” prevails in the Real Madrid dressing room, and there are no signs of calm soon.
According to the report, what made matters more complicated was the title race, which was logically decided in favor of rival Barcelona, and the Royal Club was also eliminated from the quarter-finals of the Champions League by German club Bayern Munich. The team has achieved only one win in the last six matches, and is on its way to ending the season without a major title for the second year in a row.
The report added: “The Royal dressing room has become a real powder keg.” Rumors continue about internal friction between the players, at a time when coach Alvaro Arbeloa is facing a state of dissatisfaction, with expectations that his position will become unsustainable by the end of the season.
The names of stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham have been repeatedly linked to ongoing disputes, including clashes between them.
From the match between Real Madrid and Real Betis in the Spanish League. (AFP)
Antonio Rudiger loses his temper
Marca and AS newspapers reported that a dispute between midfielder Dani Ceballos and Arbeloa escalated during a private conversation, prompting Ceballos to refuse any further contact with the Real Madrid coach until the end of the season.
Arbeloa dealt with the issue cautiously in a press conference on Saturday, saying: “I do not discuss my affairs with my players publicly. More than 20 years ago, the first thing I learned from experienced players is that what happens in the locker room stays there. I have committed to that for 20 years and I will continue.”
Separately, ESPN reported that Antonio Rudiger recently got into a fight with one of his teammates, an incident that the club tried to cover up. Mundo Deportivo added that the defender “lost his nerve.” Tensions also escalated between Arbeloa and Dani Carvajal and Raul Asensio.
This will not be Rudiger’s first lapse in recent times. In the second leg of the quarter-final against Bayern Munich, Josip Stanisic accused him of insulting him “below the belt.” He said at the time: “It was one word, said twice. You can ask him what he said. Maybe he will be brave enough to confess!”
On the other hand, continuous media reports indicate that the Real Madrid administration is urgently searching for a successor to Arbeloa, who succeeded Xabi Alonso only at the beginning of the year.
According to “The Athletic” website, President Florentino Perez prefers to sign the Portuguese Jose Mourinho to restore discipline to the team, while “The Special One” downplayed the importance of these speculations, stressing that “no one from Real Madrid” contacted him.
Other candidates whose names have been circulated recently include: Didier Deschamps, Jurgen Klopp and Massimiliano Allegri.
