FRINGE PLAYERS KEEP FIGHTING

Arbeloa not deterred

Pitch number one at Valdebebas comes alive this season even on the days off and this is what causes the strong competition that exists in the Real Madrid squad.

Most of the players were given the day off yesterday, but Diego López, Jesús, Tomás Mejías, Arbeloa, Carvajal, Nacho, Casemiro, Jesé and Morata took to the field at 11 o' clock. None of them had played against Juventus and decided to make up for the lack of playing time by training at the club's facilities. The only player missing who did not play in Turin was Isco.

One surprising observation from the session was the presence of Álvaro Arbeloa, who has gone from being an undisputed first-team regular to having to put in a shift on a rest day, as the Spain international has not played as often as he would have liked.

Arbeloa was disappointed on Tuesday when he was told by Carlo Ancelotti that Sergio Ramos would occupy his place in defence. This time round it was not Carvajal who kept him out of the side, but a player who had played in the centre-back position for the past three years. This came as a real blow to Arbeloa, but the defender was not deterred from turning up for training on his day off.

The Spaniard's number of appearances has gradually decreased over recent games, to the point where he did not play at all at the Camp Nou and in Turin.

Former youth-team players Carvajal, Nacho, Casemiro, Jesé and Morata were also spurred on after being left out of the side and trained yesterday.