Copa del Rey: Arbeloa names the culprits after Real Madrid’s elimination.

Promoted to the Madrid bench after Xabi Alonso’s departure, Álvaro Arbeloa took on full responsibility for Real Madrid’s premature exit from the Copa del Rey, beaten 3-2 by Albacete, a second-division side.

Real Madrid’s coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, fully took responsibility for the Merengues’ surprise elimination against Albacete, a second-division side, on Wednesday night in the Copa del Rey.

Beaten 3-2 by the current Liga 2 club, the Madrilenians exited the Copa del Rey prematurely, just a few days after the coaching change. In a press conference, Arbeloa did not look for excuses. “If there is a person responsible, it is me. I made the choices regarding the team’s lineup, the game plan, and the substitutions,” he said.

The former Spanish international, however, downplayed this failure. “I am not afraid of failure. It is part of the path to success. This defeat should help us progress,” he insisted, before adding that the group would quickly get back to work to bounce back. A former coach of Madrid’s reserve team, Arbeloa was promoted to the head of the first team this week, following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso, who was sacked after only seven months on the bench.