Arbeloa backs five Real Madrid stars he 'always' wants playing

Madrid: Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa insisted Saturday he would stand by the team s star players and give them as many minutes as possible, despit...

Madrid: Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa insisted Saturday he would stand by the team's star players and give them as many minutes as possible, despite debate over whether the team can function effectively with them all on the pitch.

Los Blancos, who were beaten at Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday to drop into the play-off round, have sometimes struggled for balance when too many of their attacking talents play together.

Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior have completed each of the last four games for Arbeloa, along with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, while midfielder Fede Valverde started all four and been substituted once.

"I always want to have the best players on the pitch, and the more minutes they can be available to the team for me, the better," Arbeloa told a news conference, when asked if those five players were "untouchable".

"These are players who can shake up a match at any moment. There will be people who aren't Madrid fans who don't want them on the pitch, but I imagine Madrid supporters want their best players always available, always on the field.