Madrid, May 16 (IANS) Álvaro Arbeloa, whose four-month-long stint as Real Madrid coach is on its last leg, has backed Jose Mourinho’s return to the multiple-time La Liga winner, claiming he will be “happy” to see the Portuguese former boss back at the helm.

Arbeloa’s comments came on Saturday ahead of Real Madrid’s penultimate-round match against Sevilla, as reports emerged that Mourinho is set to meet club president Florentino Perez next week to discuss a possible return.

Asked whether Mourinho is the solution for all the problems in the dressing room, Arbeloa said that he considers that Mourinho is the “number one”.

“Regarding Mourinho, I think I’ve been very clear throughout my life about what I think of him. For me, as his player, but above all as a Madridista, I feel and believe he is number one. A colleague of yours asked me a few days ago if I still think what I said when we faced him in the Champions League, and I will continue to think that José has been, is, and will always be uno di noi. If he is the one here next season, I will be very happy to see him back home,” Arbeloa said in the pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s clash with Sevilla.

Despite his troubles with star players and inability to win the confidence of the dressing room, Arbeloa said he does not understand the idea of an unmanageable dressing room.

“I don’t really understand the idea of an unmanageable dressing room, or at least I don’t share it. It’s not something that defines the Real Madrid dressing room. The day the club decides next season’s coach is something they will announce when they see fit,” he said.

Asked how he would like to be remembered for his time at Real Madrid, Arbeloa said, “Real Madrid has millions of fans, and some will agree more than others. For me, the important thing—or at least what I’ve always felt—is the affection of the fans. I’m 43 years old, and of those 43, I’ve spent 20 as a youth player at Real Madrid, as a first-team player, as an ambassador, as a youth coach, and now, over the past months, as the first-team coach. That’s many years at the place I consider my home and my club. What I feel is a great deal of affection, and that’s it. I don’t think it’s a question I can really answer.”

As it looks like his short tenure is over, Arbeloa was asked what has been the most difficult thing for him in these four months. The coach said not winning matches hurt him the most because the hopes of so many people rested on their shoulders.

“The most difficult thing in this club is always when you don’t win. And that’s what hurts me the most: not having helped the club and the players achieve their goal, which was to win titles. That’s what we all wanted. The hardest thing at Real Madrid is always when you don’t win because of the level of expectation we have and because of the hopes of so many people that rest on our shoulders. Not having been able to help them is what has hurt me the most and is undoubtedly the biggest disappointment I take away from these four months,” he said.

–IANS

bsk/