Arbeloa Changes Xabi Alonso's Practice at Real Madrid

Even with a depleted squad at Valdebebas, Alvaro Arbeloa's plans remained unchanged. With no midfielders or forwards available during the international break, the Real Madrid coach decided to reduce the number of rest days compared to what Xabi Alonso typically offered. A total of 13 first-team players joined their national squads. Thiago Pitarch, now fully integrated into the senior team, also departed. This leaves Arbeloa with only seven fully fit players, as reported by "Marca."

To this list, four injured players continue their recovery: Courtois (ruptured anterior rectus femoris in his right leg), Rodrygo (torn anterior cruciate ligament), Mendy (muscle injury to the biceps of his right leg), and Ceballos (ruptured soleus in his right leg). Ceballos has already resumed partial training with the group and could return to action within a few weeks.

Among those remaining at the training ground, there were some surprises. Lunin did not receive a call-up for Ukraine, despite participating in World Cup playoffs, and Trent also missed out on the England squad. They are joined by Carvajal, who is off Spain's roster but still harbors World Cup hopes, as well as Carreras, Fran Garcia, and Asensio, who also weren't selected. The positive news concerns Militao, who is expected to be cleared for competitive play immediately after the break.

Ultimately, Arbeloa has only seven fully fit players at Valdebebas. This is precisely why he chose to reduce rest days and increase the workload: just two days off in an attempt to restore intensity and prepare the remaining players for the final stretch of the season. Xabi Alonso's approach during similar breaks was different. During the September, October, and November interruptions, he would grant three rest days to those not involved with their national teams, with their return scheduled for Monday.

This is a model Carlo Ancelotti attempted to implement in his last season, but injuries and accumulated matches prevented it. Knowing that the Club World Cup would conclude a season that could force his players to play nearly 70 matches, the Italian's plan was to rest the internationals upon their return and increase the workload for the others. However, this never materialized.

The same situation now faces Arbeloa as the most crucial part of the season approaches. Therefore, he opted to intensify the work of those remaining to balance the team's strength. Now, with the key stage of the campaign imminent, Arbeloa has chosen the opposite approach: to extract the maximum from the available players to balance the workload and keep the team competitive until the end. Those who stayed at the training ground embraced the challenge and continued to work diligently.