Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso admitted that without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the club would have suffered a much heavier defeat at Liverpool. He also pointed out that his players need to learn how to handle pressure better than they did at Anfield.
The Belgian goalkeeper made eight crucial saves during the match against Liverpool, until Alexis Mac Allister finally broke through with a header in the 61st minute, securing a well-deserved victory for the Reds.
When asked about Courtois’ role in preventing a larger margin of defeat, Alonso said, “Yes, what worries me is that we need to learn how to cope with pressure in those moments. We have to hold our ground and not give them free kicks or corners. It was a very intense match.”
He added, “I don’t think we’re experiencing periods of ups and downs. The Metropolitano match wasn’t good, but we have to maintain consistency and the required level of performance. We don’t want to live in waves of brilliance followed by decline, because that creates instability. Today we lost a close and intense match, and we have to learn from it.”
He concluded, “It was a close match decided by the details. At one point, the game turned in their favor… There are many ways to lose, but what happened today is different from the defeat against Atlético (5-2). We gave everything we had, and the spirit was positive.”
Real Madrid’s points tally remains at 9, causing them to lose their lead in the Champions League group stage, while the Royal Club maintains a 5-point lead over Barcelona in La Liga.
