Story byReal Madrid's Spanish coach Alvaro Arbeloa has a tricky job to keep his players happy, find a system that suits his squad and keep winning games (Javier SORIANO) (Javier SORIANO/AFP/AFP)AFPMon, January 19, 2026 at 5:30 AM UTC·4 min readIt already seems clear Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa believes success with the record 15-time European champions will only come with the careful management of egos at the club. Los Blancos host Monaco on Tuesday in the Champions League as they bid to consolidate their position in the top eight of the league phase and put a turbulent spell behind them. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Spanish Super Cup defeat by Barcelona in Xabi Alonso's last game at the helm and Arbeloa's debut Copa del Rey humiliation shook the club, with fans exhibiting their feelings on Saturday as they whistled their own players. Madrid beat Levante 2-0 in La Liga but there was an immense show of dissent, with Arbeloa and star players Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham notably in the firing line. Arbeloa's predecessor Alonso's downfall started when, despite beating Barcelona in the Clasico in October, he substituted Vinicius and the Brazilian responded furiously. Alonso also upset Fede Valverde by playing him at out of position and rotated Jude Bellingham, until eventually the pressure on him from within the dressing room told. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Basque coach returned Vinicius and Bellingham to their near-untouchable star status, results did not follow and eventually Alonso was forced out. Arbeloa's approach seems to be to lavish the club's most talented players with the kind of affection shown by Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane during their successful stints at the club. Even though Vinicius struggled in the cup exit at second-tier Albacete, Arbeloa hailed the forward, to a near-absurd degree considering the circumstances."(He wanted) to carry the team on his shoulders, to attack and never hide, that's the Vini I want to see," said Arbeloa. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe followed that up by highlighting Vinicius's previous achievements after he was whistled against Levante, insisting the way forward was to feed him at every opportunity."I'll ask his team-mates to find him more, give him the ball as much as possible," said Arbeloa. "I am proud to be his coach."Bellingham was extremely poor against Barca in the Spanish Super Cup final and has scored once in his last 11 games."Up close he's even better than on television, his experience, maturity, leadership..." said Arbeloa of the Englishman on Saturday."He's one of the team's leaders, the same as Kylian, Vini or Fede. They are players called on to do great things for Real Madrid...