Courtois: "We’re Not as Bad as You Say"
Thibaut Courtois, Belgian goalkeeper for Real Madrid, defended his team, stating that they are "not as bad" as portrayed in the media and asked for time to "develop new automatisms" to improve their play after changes to the squad and Carlo Ancelotti’s system with the arrival of Kylian Mbappé.
"There have been changes with some players leaving and new ones arriving. It takes time to adapt and develop automatisms. It’s not something you achieve in two months; we need games and training," Courtois said in a press conference, confident that Real Madrid will improve.
"It will get better; we’re not as bad as you portray. Sometimes we lack clarity in our passes or ideas, but we discuss it and work on improving it during training," he added.
Courtois also denied that the team lacks motivation or shows overconfidence against certain opponents, despite the tight schedule, nor do they save energy for big games like the ones coming up this week against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and Barcelona in LaLiga.
"Everyone’s attitude is always at the highest level. We try to defend as a unit, but sometimes the opponent pulls us out of position or exploits the space behind. It’s a matter of communication; if one player pushes up and another doesn’t follow, gaps appear, and we get hurt," he explained.
"We try to fix this during training, and we analyze it with the coach through video sessions to make adjustments for the matches. It’s not easy after a long season, and some players only had two or three weeks of rest. Additionally, players like Fede and Rodrygo, coming from South America, find it hard to keep the pace. We’ll get there, but for now, the key is to win these matches to finish the season strong," he added.
On a personal note, Courtois expressed his happiness to be back playing at Balaídos after recovering from a muscle injury. He emphasized that in every game, his goal is to "do his job and help the team with key actions that lead to goals."
"The important thing is to stay united as a team, sacrifice for each other, and give it our all. Tomorrow is a crucial Champions League match after the defeat against Lille. We have to win," he concluded.
