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Real Madrid lost 1-0 at Liverpool. Without a great Thibaut Courtois, the bill could have been tougher. This morning, the Spanish press is pointing the finger at the culprits. And there are very many of them.
Thibaut Courtois walked alone. Or almost. This Wednesday evening, the Belgian goalkeeper was one of the rare Real Madrid players to perform well during the clash against Liverpool at Anfield. For a very long time, he prevented the Reds from opening the scoring. But he gave in to Alexis MacAllister, who gave his team a 1-0 victory. For its part, the Spanish club lost for the first time this season in the Champions League. As always, the Iberian press analyzed the performance of Xabi Alonso’s men. La Cadena SER believes that this Real Madrid lacks a lot of things. This was explained by journalist Manu Carreño.
“Today (yesterday), the score absolutely does not reflect it. Without Courtois… the result is by far the best thing that could happen to Real Madrid today. Courtois made four incredible saves, from impossible shots, saves that the fans are already chanting, thus saving Real Madrid from a rout at Anfield. The team continues to show that it is stronger against weaker opponents and weaker against stronger ones – this is what worries Real Madrid fans the most.”
He added: “then comes the match against PSG, and PSG humiliates them; then the derby, and Atlético Madrid humiliated them in turn; and today (yesterday) Liverpool are coming, and I repeat, even if the score is 1-0, the result could have been much heavier without Courtois. Liverpool completely dominated them. Indeed, Real Madrid only had two shots on target during the entire match, while Liverpool totaled 17, including nine on target. And then there was Saint Courtois; he deserves a monument: he was the best player on your team.”
Marca is of the same opinion. “The team failed again in a high-level match. Liverpool dominated Real Madrid, and only Courtois prevented the disaster (…) Liverpool dominated them for almost 80 minutes, thanks to their pace, their tenacity in duels, their speed and their collective commitment. If Real Madrid certainly possessed these qualities, they were not up to the level displayed by the English team, who also surpassed them on the fundamental level: mastery of the game. In reality, the score was close, mainly because Real Madrid has the best goalkeeper in the world, visibly motivated against Liverpool. But Courtois is not invincible.”
A central hinge pointed out
The Iberian media added: “Real Madrid showed little danger. Vini tried his luck, but Bradley won most of his duels; Bellingham covered a lot of ground, but lacked finesse in his passing, and Mbappé had to stall more often than usual to recover the ball. They failed to score, just like Real Madrid, for the first time this season. Alongside Courtois, Militão and Carreras stood out, clearly illustrating the difficulties of the team, which once again encountered the same obstacle.
AS believes that Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé also responded, although in difficulty. “Militão and Huijsen were dominated in the air. And the home midfield was far superior to that of the visitors. Only Bellingham, and a Mbappé who let his anger burst out in a final fit of rage, understood that we were at Anfield. Real Madrid’s first defeat in the Champions League. What a defeat.” Militão (rating 5) and Huijsen, who got a 4 for his match according to Marca, were “invisible on a series of corners and free kicks where Liverpool were very dangerous on all occasions”. Concerning the recruit, the media added that it was “his worst performance in the Madrid jersey”. Same observation for AS, which indicates that it was “far from being decisive”.
Camavinga gets cut
Like him, Arda Güler did not find favor in the eyes of the press. AS believes that there was good and bad on the part of Turc who ended up “fading away and disappearing”. Marca agrees and adds that he has been “virtually invisible under Liverpool’s relentless pressure.” Eduardo Camavinga is also expensive. AS wrote about him: “he did not shine. Usually an outstanding duelist, he lost more duels (five) than he won (three). He failed to impose his domination in midfield, unlike what happened against Barça. He was the first substitute. Ditto for Marca who gave him a 4. The Spanish publication believes that he “collapsed” like the team: “he increased his turnovers. His inaccurate passing and even ball control have been a constant problem. He did nothing to help the team take the pressure off Liverpool.”
Besides Rodrygo, whose entry was missed according to Marca, Vinicius Jr also did not score points according to AS. “When he wanted to, he couldn’t do it. At first. He tried to dribble and look for the goal, without success. Then, when he had the chance, he blew it. Like on a few isolated occasions where he found himself facing Bradley, but failed to overtake him. Disappointing.” Mbappé is generally spared. It is estimated that he was not helped by his team. Finally, Xabi Alonso also raises questions in Spain, where we wonder if he will succeed in finding solutions. In the meantime, it is mainly 5 of his players who are in the media’s sights.