Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois criticises teammates after Liverpool loss – ‘unnecessary’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has called on his teammates to be smarter when giving away free-kicks, after he saw his goal peppered by Liverpool during a 1-0 win for the Reds. Courtois left Anfield as the man of the match, but it was little consolation for Real Madrid’s second defeat of the season.

The Belgian goalkeeper followed a similar line of thought to manager Xabi Alonso that his side defended well for the most part, the set plays not withstanding.

“It’s a shame, I tried to keep the team together, but in the second half, especially, we committed too many fouls near the area, where they are good and that’s how they scored the goal,” he told Movistar, via MD.

Courtois was keen to point out that visiting Anfield was not going to be easy, regardless of the result.

“We were good with the ball, we defended well, but we lacked something in the final third, where we struggled to get forward and lost possession too often. We need to improve. Ultimately, we’re playing at one of the toughest grounds in the Champions League, and we can lose, even if we don’t want to. Now we have to beat Olympiakos away and then face Manchester City at home.”

Image via RTVE

“It’s a very difficult stadium where you can lose; you have to step up, play better, but these are matches that are decided by details.”

‘I hope Liverpool fans forgive Trent’ – Courtois

Meanwhile one of the major talking points was the reception for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was booed during the warm-up, and whenever he was on the ball when he came off the bench. Courtois told BeINSports that he hoped Liverpool fans would eventually forgive him.

“I’m not judging the fans. But as a player, you only have one career, you have to make decisions, and you have dreams. It’s not like he went to a rival, like Manchester United, he went to Real Madrid, which for me is the biggest club in the world. I understand they are hurt, maybe they hoped it was different, but it was an honest decision, and I hope the fans can forgive him in the long-term, and eventually, he can come back here, and they will honour him for all the trophies that he won here.”

‘Some of the fouls were unnecessary’

The set pieces were a major talking point, and Courtois felt the best method to defending them was prevention. Jude Bellingham gave away the free-kick that led to Alexis Mac Allister’s eventual winner, which Courtois was not happy about.

“We knew they were dangerous from set pieces, and maybe the smallest one scores, but I think we made too many fouls, and we give them the opportunity to score. But otherwise, I think we defended well in play, and from open play, I don’t think they had many big, big chances, maybe the first one.”

“Some fouls are unnecessary, while others are necessary to stop a dangerous attack. The foul that led to the goal wasn’t necessary, and I think the foul was called when he saw Jude’s leg. We lacked clean passing and needed to maintain possession in the opposition’s half. That’s where we need to improve against good teams away from home.”