The Alvaro Arbeloa era at Real Madrid has gotten off to a rocky start with the club getting knocked out of the Copa del Rey at the hands of second-tier Albacete 3-2 on Wednesday. Mired currently in LaLiga 2, Albacete are closer to being relegated than they are in pushing for a place in LaLiga, but cup matches can be the great equalizer in soccer.
Real Madrid were without Kylian Mbappe in the squad, as he has been dealing with a knee injury, and there was rotation everywhere, but it was Albacete who struck first with Javi Villar scoring in the first half. Franco Mastantuono equalized before halftime, but at no point did Real Madrid seem comfortable away from home. The match would be a deadlock until the 80th minute, with Real Madrid regulars such as Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal entering the match, but by then, Albacete felt the belief, with substitute forward Jefte Betancor scoring.
Los Blancos equalized again via Gonzalo Garcia in stoppage time, but yet again, Bentancor struck back to ensure that this match wouldn’t go into extra time. With the Real Madrid job being Arbeola’s first foray into top flight managment, this match was an important test for a side with sky-high ambitions, and it’s one that he fell flat in. In a match like this, even if Madrid don’t have their preferred starting XI available, they’re expected to emerge with a victory, and instead, despite having 78% of possession, Madrid allowed three goals from only five shots on target.
After falling to Barcelona in the Supercopa de España and moving on from Xabi Alonso as the manager of the club, things need to turn around sooner rather than later for Real Madrid as they’re four points behind Barcelona for the LaLiga lead while also still being alive in Champions League play. But for Albacete, this is a moment to celebrate.
Who are Albacete?
Founded in 1939, this is a team that hasn’t been in La Liga since the 2004-05 season. They’ve been mainstays in the second division, only rarely threatening to make the playoffs for a shot at the top flight, and this season is no different, with the club sitting in 17th place. There is an American on the books in left back Jonathan Gomez, who has been bouncing around Spain since leaving Louisville City FC in 2021, and he came on in the second half as a substitute to help bring fresh legs to the match. He has been far from a regular starter for the club but has still made 20 appearances this season. A club with no notable top-flight trophies, this is a night that will go down in history in Albacete as they now have a place in the Copa Del Rey quarterfinals, and who knows, they could go further and win the whole thing.
More worries for Real Madrid
On one hand, Arbeloa’s inexperience can be looked past due to being a former Real Madrid player, but starting off management on this foot couldn’t bring more pressure onto the new Real Madrid manager. A weekend match with Levante would seem like a bounce-back moment for Los Blancos, especially with them being at home at the Santiago Bernabeu, but after losing this match, it’s hard to have confidence in what Real Madrid will do. After that, the difficulty level only picks up, closing out January with Champions League matches against Monaco and Benfica (live on Paramount+), along with a LaLiga match against Villarreal. Dropping more points will only make it harder to claw back space in LaLiga before the next Clasico with Barcelona in May, but to even have that chance, Arbeloa will need to establish his style on the squad sooner rather than later. Alonso only lasted seven months on the job, and if things spiral more, there’s a real possibility that Real Madrid could see three managers in one season as time waits for no one at the club.
