"I see it as a way of preparing the players in the best way to face the week. The physical aspect plays a very important role."
"Since I took charge of the team until the day of the Rayo Vallecano match, 20 days have passed, and the players had two days off. I will continue to manage it in the best way possible."
"Great teams need to do many things well to win. We need to be able to execute many things simultaneously, have automatisms, and think the same way. That is only achieved through hard work and hours of dedication. The attitudes all remain as good as ever. We're still far from our peak."
Alvaro Arbeloa defended the decision to give Real Madrid players two additional rest days ahead of the Valencia match, arguing rest aids physical preparation. Madrid have won three straight LaLiga games but suffered embarrassing exits from the Copa del Rey to second-tier Albacete and a Champions League loss to Benfica after conceding a stoppage-time goal to goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, costing automatic round-of-16 qualification. Spanish media questioned training methods after players were pictured wearing hypoxia masks and receiving back-to-back days off. Madrid sit four points behind Barcelona with a game in hand. Valencia occupy 16th, one point clear of relegation, and Madrid won the reverse fixture 4-0 in November.
Read at Soccer News
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