As Real Madrid readies itself for UCL playoff, this is the TAA plan
With Fede Valverde returning to midfield, Real Madrid head coach Álvaro Arbeloa wants Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back against Benfica.
A right-back at right-back. Jude Bellingham’s month-long injury has pushed Fede Valverde back into the Real Madrid midfield, and that domino effect has restored the presence of a true No. 2 on the right of the defense.
And the chosen one is Trent Alexander-Arnold. Álvaro Arbeloa wants him sharp and fully tuned up to face Benfica in the Champions League next Tuesday. That’s the date circled in red for the Englishman. Which is why Arbeloa rolled the dice at Valencia on Sunday, bringing him on for the final quarter-hour even with Madrid clinging to a 1-0 lead and academy product David Jiménez holding his ground. It wasn’t a forced swap. It was part of a mapped‑out plan.
“We’ll be cautious”
Until Valencia, Alexander-Arnold had sat out 14 straight matches for Madrid. Far too much soccer missed. So during these two weeks without midweek games, the staff has begun ramping up the 27-year-old’s workload without overburdening him. All with the Champions League in mind. making sure he’s ready. “After so long out, we’ll be cautious,” Arbeloa said after Madrid’s 2-0 win at Mestalla. But words are one thing, actions another. Alexander-Arnold returned even though the match at Mestalla was still hanging in the balance, a clear admission of a deeper need: getting game time back into those legs.
No rush - but no time to waste, either
What remains to be seen is whether, when he features again this Saturday against Real Sociedad, Arbeloa sticks to the plan (“we want him to slowly find his rhythm”) or whether the Liverpool youth product takes the leap straight into the starting XI. It’s not a matter of immediate urgency: Jiménez is available, and Dani Carvajal - despite going four matches without playing a minute - has, since last week, medical clearance from a London clinic confirming there’s no issue with his knee.
But Madrid wants Alexander-Arnold in the lineup for the two‑legged Champions League playoff with Benfica - a team that beat Los Blancos 4-2 in the league phase last month, with Valverde filling in at right back.
It’s a challenge for TAA, given he’s logged only 104 minutes of Champions League soccer for the club. Arbeloa and Madrid want stability in this turbulent right‑back situation, and Alexander-Arnold has just one more tune‑up available: Saturday. After that, Lisbon calls.
When is Benfica vs Real Madrid?
After hosting Real Sociedad in LaLiga on Saturday (3:00 p.m. ET), Madrid visits Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League knockout-phase playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Kickoff at the Estádio Da Luz is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The second leg, held at Madrid’s Estadio Bernabéu, will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 24, also at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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