Arbeloa targets good start for Real
Spanish defender and recent World Cup-winner, Alvaro Arbeloa, has said he has high hopes for Real Madrid under new manager Jose Mourinho.
Arbeloa played for Deportivo la Coruna for one season and spent two years with Rafael Benitez at Liverpool before returning to Real Madrid last summer.
The left-back made only two appearances for Real in the 2006-2007 season, but has featured in 31 league games since his return.
Following a season without trophies in 2009-2010, Arbeloa said the opening stages of this season will prove vital to the club's overall performance.
"It is very important to start the season well. I believe Iker Casillas will live up to the challenge of being the team's captain," Agencia EFE quoted the 27-year-old as saying. "We all have a say and feel relevant on the team. I think it is positive to share responsibilities among players. For example, someone like Xabi Alonso is vital due to his position on the pitch and his personality."
Alonso, who also arrived from Liverpool in 2009, has formed a strong partnership with Arbeloa at Real and with Spain.
Pleased with new signings and Mourinho
Fellow Spaniard Pedro Leon joined Real this summer, along with Werder Bremen's Mesut Ozil, Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea and VfB Stuttgart's Sami Khedira. Arbeloa is pleased with the new arrivals, including new manager Mourinho.
"The new signings are playing quite well; they are a young and fun bunch. The Germans are the ones who are going to have it tougher because the communication with them isn’t brilliant.
"I like the new coach very much. Perhaps it is about time to show what I learned from English football. Players who have participated in the Premier League are used to training with great intensity and to tackling physical workouts like those we are doing now with Mourinho."
Real Madrid host Osasuna on Saturday and Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday, a game that should see the team's star winger Cristiano Ronaldo back in action.
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