Thibaut Courtois has revealed the difficulty he had dealing with Paris Saint-Germain's pressing as Real Madrid suffered a 4-0 thrashing.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Madrid lost 4-0 to PSG in CWC semi-finalDembele scored one goalCourtois complained about rabid pressingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED
On Wednesday, in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, Real Madrid suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat against a Paris Saint-Germain side in top form. At the heart of this collective humiliation, Courtois spoke after the match, acknowledging PSG's superiority and emphasising in particular on the rabid off the ball work Dembele put in.
AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
One of the main architects of PSG steamrolling through Madrid was Ousmane Dembele, a serious contender for the Ballon d'Or. The PSG striker not only scored a goal but also relentlessly harassed the opposition's defence. Even Courtois was powerless to stop him. His words did not just point out Dembele's determination, but also indirectly called out the lack of effort from his own team-mates.
Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream nowWHAT THIBAUT COURTOIS SAID
Speaking to reporters after the game, Courtois said: "I told [Dembele] after the game that he was pressing a lot and he told me that's what he had to do. On a clearance, I have half a second to think about where I'm going to shoot, because they're pressing you."
While reflecting on the performance of his own team-mates, the Belgian international did not mince his words. For him, it was the whole team that failed, not just two or three players, as was evident from the defensive errors by Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger, which led to the first two goals.
"It's something we need to improve collectively, it's not just a question of individual players. Collectively, we need to press better and be more coordinated," he added. "We were a bit weak today. We've done much better in other games. It's something we need to look at on video and improve."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?
Head coach Xabi Alonso and his staff will have to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to get the best out of this Real Madrid side. The 15-time European champions will begin their La Liga campaign on August 19 against Osasuna, after the league refused their request to postpone the opening game.