Thibaut Courtois: “No one was setting Xabi Alonso up”

Real Madrid’s superstar goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, opened up about the media’s portrayal of ex-manager Xabi Alonso’s departure and the things that were reported about Real Madrid players having something to do with it.

There were rumors about certain players not enjoying the tactical work set by Alonso, among other things, and Courtois was around after the game to talk about them.

He said: “No player set up Xabi Alonso. I think we did good work.

“They said we hate tactics, we hate the videos… look, I had Antonio Conte who did one hour of work every day, and I was there and didn’t mind it because we are professionals and the priority is my work.

“I think the first months with Xabi went very well and then we hit a slump. This happens in football.”

He also talked about the press’s portrayal of the team in general, saying: “I’ve read things from [the press] and told myself ‘Oh my goodness’.

“You think this club is a nursery and that we do whatever we want, but it’s not like this. We respect all managers that arrive, the medical staff, and everyone.

“I think a lot of criticism is unfair. Some other information is correct, and I have no problem, that’s why I tell you we are to blame too, and we’ve assumed this.”

Real Madrid will look to build on this momentum under new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa and close out the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next week.

Click here to read article