It's easier to win Champions League than LALIGA — Real Madrid coach admits

Real Madrid head coach Álvaro Arbeloa has claimed that securing the LALIGA title is a fundamentally more difficult endeavour than winning the UEFA Champions League, as his side are set to miss out on consecutive league titles to eternal rivals, Barcelona.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Arbeloa, who won both the LALIGA and Champions League with Real Madrid as a player, suggested that his squad's tactical profile naturally struggles to break down the low-block defences of smaller domestic clubs over a gruelling 38-game calendar. 

By contrast, he argued that the open, high-stakes nature of European nights against continental heavyweights perfectly suits their transitional playstyle. 

“We would find some solution, and it is easy to see in the eyes of many,” he said, per Football Espana. “In relation to our performance, I am sure that we have room for improvement in La Liga these years. 

“These months I think we have performed better in the big games than against the smaller clubs. If we talk about these three months, we have a lot of margin. 

“But we have also experienced circumstances such as against Girona that make it easier for Real Madrid to win a Champions League than a LALIGA.”

The manager's comments come after having recently been eliminated from the Champions League and Copa del Rey, and currently sitting nine points adrift of FC Barcelona with only seven matches remaining, Real Madrid are destined to replicate the bitter disappointment of their trophyless 2024/25 campaign.

“Two seasons without winning anything, I think the last time that happened was 20 years ago. Real Madrid is the club where things go well the most,” Arbeloa said.

“There are times when things don’t work out, but the mentality of this club is to always look to the future. At Real Madrid it’s not worth dwelling on losing, but it’s not worth dwelling on winning either, because we know the demands that this club has and you always have to look to the future to win. We have to win the remaining seven games.”

Arbeloa’s assessment highlights a staggering statistical paradox that has defined Real Madrid’s modern era: an undisputed dominance in Europe heavily contrasted by an inability to sustain domestic supremacy. 

Despite achieving an unprecedented modern European "three-peat" by capturing the 2015/16, 2016/17, and 2017/18 UCL titles, Los Blancos have stunningly failed to defend a LALIGA crown since they successfully retained the trophy in the 2007/08 LALIGA season. 

Since the beginning of the 2013/14 season, Real Madrid has remarkably hoisted six UEFA Champions League trophies. Over that same 12-year timeframe, they have managed to win only four LALIGA titles.