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Alvaro Arbeloa has urged his Real Madrid players to show the right kind of fight in Sunday’s El Clasico against Barcelona.
A turbulent week could end in the most miserable way possible for Real, with bitter rivals Barca needing just a point to clinch the LaLiga title with three games to spare.
The Catalan outfit are currently 11 points ahead of second-placed Real, who are lurching from crisis to crisis.
On Thursday they fined Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni 500,000 euros each following a training-ground bust-up.
Captain Valverde ended up in hospital with a head injury and will be sidelined for up to two weeks.
The disciplinary proceedings are the latest in a string of recent controversies at Real, with defender Antonio Rudiger reportedly apologising to the squad for another training-ground clash.
Star striker Kylian Mbappe was then reported to have been involved in an angry exchange with a member of the club’s coaching staff who was acting as an assistant referee in a training match.
Embattled boss Arbeloa, speaking at a press conference, said: “It’s clear that frustration and anger can lead to situations we don’t want, but we have to channel that frustration and anger into playing a great game tomorrow.
“That’s where we need to focus our energy.”
Real have reportedly lined up Jose Mourinho to replace Arbeloa, who admitted he carries the can for their state of turmoil.
“I am responsible for everything that happens at Real Madrid, and if you want to point the finger at someone, here I am,” he added.
“For me, the most serious thing, and what hurts me the most, is that what happens in the Real Madrid dressing room should stay in the Real Madrid dressing room.
“These are situations that don’t represent Real Madrid because they shouldn’t happen, but of course I’ve experienced worse. In the end, we had the bad luck that it ended with Fede suffering a cut.
“The club handled the matter very well, and the players have accepted the consequences and apologised. From now on, I’m only thinking about tomorrow’s match.”
Mbappe, who has also faced criticism for a trip to Italy with his partner, is back in training after a hamstring injury.
Barca boss Hansi Flick did not dwell on the issues facing the visitors.
“The only thing we have to focus on is our own display,” he said. “We’ve had a fantastic season as a team. We want to play our game, with our style and as a team.
“It’s important for the supporters, for the players and also for us, the staff. We want to win the title, the second in a row. Nothing else matters. We’re fully focused on that.”
