Alvaro Arbeloa fires warning shots at Barcelona

Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa has used his pre‑match debrief ahead of El Clásico to send a pointed message to FC Barcelona

With the Bernabéu giants preparing to face their arch‑rivals at Camp Nou, Arbeloa has chosen to publicly defend his squad, downplay a high‑profile training‑ground clash between two key midfielders, and push back against what he sees as unfair outside narratives.

His tone is equal parts defiant and measured, trying to keep external pressure from destabilising the team even as the title race reaches its climax.

The Real Madrid figure firing these warning shots at Barcelona is manager Álvaro Arbeloa, who has addressed the widely reported conflict between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni in training, an incident that has already cost the Uruguayan winger 10–14 days on the sidelines, as reported by AS.

Arbeloa has praised the club’s transparency in handling the episode, highlighting that both players identified what they had done wrong, apologised and accepted responsibility, and stressed that he would not use it as a reason to question their professionalism.

“It’s a lie that they’re not professional, that they’ve disrespected me,” he said bluntly, before adding that he is proud of the group and the effort they have shown since his arrival.

Arbeloa has also taken aim at Barcelona indirectly, by pushing back against leaks that expose private moments from the dressing room, calling them a betrayal of “this badge.”

With Tchouaméni confirmed available for the Clásico and Arbeloa expressing full confidence in his captain group, the message to Barcelona is clear: Real Madrid want the game to be judged on the pitch, not in the headlines, and they are ready to fight for a result that could reignite their season.