Thibaut Courtois He thought the arbitration criteria were “a bit odd” when it came to marking penalties at the moment.. The Real Madrid goalkeeper is optimistic ahead of the Real Madrid-Valencia semi-final of the 2022/23 Spanish Super Cup, which will take place this Wednesday in Riyadh.
The Belgian goalkeeper spoke to the press with coach Carlo Ancelotti before the final training session for the Merengue team at the Al Nasrr FC sports facilities in Riyadh.
Courtois thought it very important not to be surprised by Valencia at the start of the duel. “We have to start the game well”He assured that Genaro Gattuso’s team “is a great rival with a great manager and it will be tough. The key is to reach the final to add a new trophy to the history of Real Madrid. We want to win after the loss the other day. We come back to win”.
The Madrid goalkeeper has cleared doubts about his physical condition, considering that he has been suffering from different back problems in recent months. “I’m very good, you can see in the tests that it’s more than sciatica. We found the solution and I feel good. I had a good World Cup without conceding two goals but of course we didn’t pass. It wasn’t the best for us. I want to show that I feel good, conceding two goals like this the other day is mine It was embarrassing for him,” he said.
in a good time to compete
Courtois says Real Madrid are in good shape to face Valencia despite the recent negative result. “Physically we are in good shape, those who did not go to the World Cup prepared for the new pre-season. The rest of us did the physical work. Those who played to the end may have been more tired. Everyone is good and ready to contribute. There’s a game in three days, but that’s what’s going on.”
We may not have given our best image against Villarreal the other day. We discussed this with the coach and saw what we did wrong in the video. The injuries there are not serious and I hope they come back soon. “.
Real Madrid fans happy in Riyadh
The Real Madrid goalkeeper did not enter into any controversy when asked whether the Spanish Super Cup would be played in Saudi Arabia. “It’s a pleasure for us to come here. We found it welcome, we know we have a lot of fans. We saw that last year and the year before. Madrid has fans from all over the world And it’s nice to be close to the fans who come here and can’t come to Madrid. We can’t wait to offer them a title.”
Most goals scored
Courtois downplayed that he had more or less work compared to other seasons and above all conceded more goals. “I think it’s very rare in modern football for a goalkeeper to be unemployed. If you try to play with many players on offense and in front of the ball, more. Villarreal is a good team that creates danger. “They scored more goals for us this year than last year, but the other day they were unlucky.”
Unaware of the criteria for penalties
The Real Madrid goalkeeper was between irony and common sense when asked about the arbitration criteria for penalties. “Sometimes they come to explain, not just in the League, but also in the World Cup. But the strange thing is that things happen at that meeting that it’s called whistle or whistle.. It’s a matter of hand… not the two of the other day (in Villarreal vs. Real Madrid). Not both. One does not change the trajectory of the ball, and the other has his hand on the ground. You have to develop this to see which are effective and which are not.”
“Cristiano is a good supplement for Saudi football”
Finally, he positively evaluated the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to Al Nasrr. “The transfer of Cristiano here shows that it is a country that wants to develop the sport a lot. We see it in Formula 1 and other events. We saw it in the World Cup, they beat Argentina.” It’s his decision to have Cristiano come, I can’t say much.. It’s important for the League here to have a player of his level.”