Trent Alexander-Arnold is back on the pitch, and he’s loving it. After a frustrating spell out with a muscle injury, the former Liverpool full-back finally started for Real Madrid again, his first time in the lineup since early December. You could see the difference right away.

Last weekend, he eased back in with a second-half cameo against Valencia, helping Los Blancos to a 2-0 win. But this week, he was straight into the starting eleven against Real Sociedad and wasted no time making his mark. Five minutes in, he whipped in one of those classic assists for Gonzalo Garcia, who slotted it home to open the scoring. Real Madrid didn’t stop there: Vinicius Junior netted twice, Federico Valverde added another, and they cruised to a 4-1 victory.

Alexander-Arnold came off after the hour mark, no surprise, since he’s still finding his rhythm after the injury. After the match, he jumped on Instagram, posted some photos, and simply wrote, “Good to be back,” adding a white heart emoji. Sometimes, that says it all.

It’s been a tough first season at the Bernabeu for him. Injuries have kept him from showing Madrid fans the same world-class quality Liverpool supporters saw every week. But now, with that first assist under his belt, he’ll want to prove he’s worth the hype. His manager, Alvaro Arbeloa, is pretty confident he will. After the game, Arbeloa said, “Working with Trent, you notice right away how smart he is. He reads the game, and he gets what we’re asking for. He’s not just a typical fullback hugging the touchline; he can drift inside and play centrally. That’s what we want: players who can switch things up. We’re lucky to have him.”

Next up for Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid? Benfica in the Champions League play-off. The first leg is on Tuesday night, 8 pm kickoff. The second leg follows just over a week later. With knockout football on the line, there’s plenty to play for.

Reports say Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa keeps butting heads with some of the main voices in the locker room; he’s not getting along with three of his stars.

Arbeloa took over at the start of the year, stepping up from his job with Real Madrid Castilla after Xabi Alonso got the boot. Alonso lost the dressing room and ran into a losing streak he couldn’t shake, and now it’s starting to look like Arbeloa is dealing with the same sort of headaches.

The club brought in Arbeloa fast, hoping he could steady things, but honestly, it’s not clear if he’s more than just a stopgap. Real Madrid’s season hangs by a thread; they’re still alive in La Liga and the Champions League, but that’s it. Another year without a trophy feels possible.

Lately, people keep linking Madrid to big-name managers like Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery, fuelling talk that Arbeloa might not stick around much longer.

On top of that, rumours out of Spain say Arbeloa has clashed with three team ‘leaders’. David Alaba is one of them. He’s frustrated, thinks he deserves a bigger role, and he’s not quiet about it. The same goes for Federico Valverde and Dani Carvajal. Both have reportedly bumped heads with Arbeloa over playing time and their standing in the squad. It’s not the first time this has happened; Arbeloa’s authority keeps running up against these senior guys who want more influence. Now Alaba’s in the mix too, which only makes things messier for the coach.

Then there’s Arda Güler. He’s been linked with Arsenal for a summer move and isn’t happy either. Spanish site Fichajes says Guler has basically given the club an ultimatum. He’s improved a bit under Arbeloa, but he still feels stuck on the sidelines and doesn’t like the atmosphere in the dressing room. He’s made it clear that if he doesn’t get a proper shot and some real leadership from the bench, he’s out of Madrid this summer.