Arbeloa on Guardiola exchange after Real Madrid knocked out Man City

Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid’s coach, gave his first assessment to Movistar after his side booked a place in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Now, let Bayern come through... right? “Well, whoever comes next, of course. The important thing is to be there. And as we always say, if you want to be champions of Europe, you have to beat the best.”

What did you make of the game? “They came out the way we expected – pressing and causing problems. We lacked patience on the ball, but that’s much easier said than done. And after the penalty, everything changed.”

Did the team let up a little in the second half? “Yes, I’m sure subconsciously we did. Even though at halftime we talked about going out to win – keeping a lot of the ball and scoring goals. But we were up against an opponent that does that very well.”

What does this mean? “The important thing is that we learn how we have to win every game: commitment, sacrifice and know-how. And above all, by being a team. A collective mentality.”

What a tie Brahim had... “Yes... yes... he was outstanding over the two games. It wasn’t easy, because he had to fill a very big gap, which is Mbappé’s. But he did it very well – helping in defense and freeing himself up in attack.”

How is Courtois? “It was precautionary. He had a bit of discomfort and we didn’t want to take even the slightest risk. I hope he’ll be ready on Sunday.”

What did Guardiola say to you? “Nothing, just congratulated me and I wished him luck for Sunday’s final [against Arsenal].”

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