Álvaro Arbeloa openly expressed his frustration after Real Madrid’s defeat against Mallorca, but made it clear that the setback will not impact his team ahead of the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich.

The coach pointed to the drop in performance after the break. “We didn’t have the patience or apply what we worked on during the week. We couldn’t find solutions out wide. We played a better first half than the second, knowing that we needed more energy and clearer thinking after the break.”

He also admitted that the team failed to reach the required level in key moments. “For me, it’s easier to understand the difficulty of the game, the opponent, and the context. The difficult part is making the players understand that without giving 200%, we were not going to win. We were superior in the first half, but a lapse in concentration put us behind. When you are not clinical and the opponent is, this is what happens.”

Arbeloa took full responsibility for the result. “This defeat is mine, and I’ve told the players that. It’s entirely mine. I make the decisions, the substitutions, and set the way we play.”

He then shifted the focus immediately to the upcoming European clash. “I need them to start thinking about Tuesday’s game now. I need them to give everything in the Champions League, a competition that is extremely important. When they leave the locker room, they should only be thinking about Bayern.”

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