During his pre-match press conference, ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League encounter with Manchester City, manager Alvaro Arbeloa dismissed the allegations made by former Barcelona President Joan Laporta with a laugh. Laporta, currently campaigning for re-election, has been defending Barcelona’s controversial payments to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of the Referees Committee (CTA).
Earlier in the week, Laporta asserted that the CTA had been controlled by individuals connected to Real Madrid for 72 years, expressing his conviction that Los Blancos engaged in similar practices. His consistent stance is that Barcelona committed no misconduct. Arbeloa, who previously labeled the Negreira case as football’s most significant scandal, simply chuckled when confronted with Laporta’s recent statements.
“Who made that statement?” Arbeloa asked, then chuckled. “Oh, right, candidate Laporta! I believe it was he who significantly increased the payments to Negreira by four times. So, there isn’t much else to add on that matter.”
No Sense of Inferiority Against Any Opponent
Regarding the specific challenge of facing Manchester City, Arbeloa urged the supporters at the Bernabéu to rally behind the team.
“It’s a demanding fixture where we absolutely need our fans,” he stated. “We will be incredibly motivated. The Champions League holds immense significance for us.”
Back in January, Arbeloa had declared that Real Madrid enter every competition as favorites.
“If I said it, I stand by it,” he affirmed. “We must not feel inferior to any team. We are well aware of the difficulty of this tie, but we will approach it with tremendous enthusiasm, meeting them head-on.”
Arbeloa: Guardiola Always Holds a Tactical Surprise
This upcoming match marks Arbeloa’s first touchline encounter with Pep Guardiola as a manager, though he faced Guardiola’s Barcelona and Bayern Munich teams numerous times during his playing career.
“He invariably has an unexpected tactic ready,” Arbeloa commented. “Regardless of how often you observe his teams, you anticipate an innovation, and you must be ready for various potential adjustments. I would be quite surprised if he didn’t introduce a novel formation or a new player. He frequently tends to overcomplicate his tactical approach.”
Guardiola is set to return to the Bernabéu on Wednesday night at 21:00 CEST, with the second leg scheduled for next Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium.
