The Albany Gazette - Arbeloa's Real Madrid seeking consistency over magic

"I'm not Gandalf the White," said Arbeloa after his team scraped a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano last weekend in La Liga, to stay one point behind leaders Barcelona.

The Spaniard meant, unlike the fictional Lord of the Rings wizard, he is not capable of magic to transform Real Madrid's fortunes. Only hard work will suffice.

"What I want from my players is what I'm seeing, commitment, attitude, mentality, knowing that to win each game quality is not enough, consistency is key," said Arbeloa, six games into his tenure.

"We will work on that, in terms of performance, mentality, ambition and attitude."

Last week Madrid fell to defeat against Benfica in the Champions League, out-played and out-fought, leaving them facing a play-off round double-header against Jose Mourinho's Portuguese side once again.

"The problem is we aren't consistent in our play, we have to fix that, you can't have one day (playing well) and another not, a champion team does not do that," said a frustrated Mbappe after that defeat in Lisbon.

Under Arbeloa Madrid have already experienced some highs, thrashing Monaco 6-1, and coasting past Villarreal, as well as lows -- his debut Copa del Rey defeat at second-tier Albacete.

That shocking loss could play into Madrid's favour at Valencia, after enjoying a rare midweek off because they were not involved in the cup quarter-finals.

"In these (free) weeks we'll try and work the team and take it to where we want to be," said Arbeloa.

Mbappe himself has been a paragon of the consistency he demands from his team-mates, leading the scoring charts at home and in Europe with 37 goals in 30 games across all competitions.

By contrast some of the team's other stars, including Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, have been far from their best at times, while still occasionally producing some extraordinary moments of quality.

Neither will be available at Valencia's Mestalla stadium, with Vinicius suspended and Bellingham injured for the next month.

Arbeloa has defended his star players but may find their absence allows him to deploy a more stable Madrid side, with playmaker Arda Guler hoping to rekindle his link with Mbappe that shone in the early part of the season under Xabi Alonso.

Madrid started the campaign with solid, consistent performances and a run of victories, but that crumbled away in the winter before Alonso's exit in January.

Playing on the road could suit Madrid after the whistles and jeers they faced at their Santiago Bernabeu home from their owns fans in recent league wins over Rayo and Levante.

However Arbeloa said that every match was harder for his team because their opposition were more motivated by facing the 15-time record European champions.

"I'm sure that Valencia will face Real Madrid at their home with it being the 'game of the year'," said the coach.

"For us to win, we will have to put in a superb performance."

By the time Madrid face Los Che they could be four points behind Barcelona again, with the Catalans hosting Mallorca on Saturday and looking to ramp up the pressure on their arch-rivals.

Player to watch: Lamine Yamal

After struggling with a groin issue during the first half of the season, in recent weeks Barcelona's teenage star Yamal has hit top form. The 18-year-old winger seems back to his dynamic best and will be aiming to fire the champions to victory against Mallorca on Saturday and extend their lead at the top.

Key stats

0 - Victories for Espanyol in January from five games

8 - Penalties scored by Real Madrid's Mbappe this season in La Liga

99 - saves made by busy Oviedo goalkeeper Aaron Escandell

Fixtures

Friday (times GMT)

Celta Vigo v Osasuna (2000)

Saturday

Rayo Vallecano v Real Oviedo (1300), Barcelona v Mallorca (1515), Sevilla v Girona (1730), Real Sociedad v Elche (2000)

Sunday

Alaves v Getafe (1300), Athletic Bilbao v Levante (1515), Atletico Madrid v Real Betis (1730), Valencia v Real Madrid (2000)

Monday

Villarreal v Espanyol (2000)

(P.Davis--TAG)