Real Madrid have reportedly not ruled out the possibility of cutting ties with Álvaro Arbeloa should the club fail to advance past Benfica in the Champions League knockout phase playoffs.
Just when it looked like Los Blancos were getting their swagger back, a poor 2–1 defeat to Osasuna on Saturday afternoon derailed any momentum the team had previously gained under Arbeloa. The 15-time European champions once again looked lifeless in the final third, lacking any type of creativity to penetrate a low block.
The loss sounded alarm bells in the Spanish capital for the umpteenth time this season, but now, it is Arbeloa in the line of fire. According to SPORT, the manager’s future on the touchline of his former club could come down to Wednesday’s result against Benfica.
A defeat to José Mourinho’s men could trigger both Arbeloa’s “downfall” and an “unprecedented crisis” at Real Madrid. A “termination agreement” is not off the table, though the club wishes to avoid sacking the Spaniard due to the lack of sufficient replacements available.
Pressure Mounts Not Just on Arbeloa, But Real Madrid As Well
The lofty expectations that come at the biggest club in the world are not exclusive to just the man on the touchline—the players in white are under just as much pressure to add silverware to the club’s trophy cabinet.
Real Madrid went from winning the Champions League, La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup in 2023–24 to ending 2024–25 without a major trophy. The failures of Carlo Ancelotti’s final campaign in charge were widely chalked up to the defensive injury crisis plaguing the team.
Yet fast forward to 2025–26, and Real Madrid risk going trophyless after signing three defensive reinforcements in the summer in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Álvaro Carreras. The team already lost out in the Spanish Super Cup final, costing Xabi Alonso his job, and were eliminated in the Copa del Rey round of 16.
Now only La Liga and the Champions League remain for Los Blancos, but a defeat to Benfica in the second leg of the knockout phase playoffs could see the 15-time European champions crash out of their favorite competition, leaving the team only in contention for the Spanish crown.
Punching their tickets to the round of 16, though, will alleviate some of the pressure on both Arbeloa and Real Madrid ahead of the three most important months of the season.
Has Arbeloa Earned More Time at Real Madrid?
Arbeloa has been no means a perfect replacement for Alonso at the helm of Real Madrid. Under his watch, the team crashed out of the Copa del Rey to second tier side Albacete, squandered their place in the top eight of the league phase standings and most recently dropped points to Osasuna to surrender the top spot in La Liga.
Yet the team has looked undeniably better than their final days under Alonso, and much of that resurgence comes from Vinicius Junior. At one point, the Brazilian was in the middle of a 16-game goalscoring drought and now, he has found the back of the net five times in the team’s last four matches.
Of course Arbeloa will be judged on more than just one player’s performance under his leadership, but it goes without saying that Real Madrid’s chances of winning titles go up exponentially when Vinicius Jr is at his best. Alonso could not unlock the forward’s top form, but Arbeloa has.
It’s also not entirely fair to blame the team’s longstanding problems on the new boss. Los Blancos have deficiencies all over the pitch, including the midfield, where they have needed a deep-lying playmaker for two seasons now.
Still, fairness almost never comes into question when determining the future of a manager on the touchline at the Bernabéu—a fact Alonso would rush to confirm.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Termination Agreement’—Alvaro Arbeloa Faces Crisis at Real Madrid.
