Real Madrid: Ranking the 5 most important players as 2021 ticks down
4. GK Thibaut Courtois
The next man on the list is the one Real should thank for all the goals they didn’t concede that they could have easily conceived. Thibaut Courtois has been an absolute wall in Real’s defense and is someone who deserves a lot of appreciation for all that he has done so far from Real Madrid. The number of goals Real has conceded may give you another idea, but the Belgian wall hasn’t been at fault for conceding the majority of them.
The season is particularly a tough one for Courtois and he knows it very well. Real’s defensive stability has been compromised for the fluent attacking they have been doing on the other end while keeping a high line. The season is going to be one where there wouldn’t be many clean sheets for the big Belgian. Even then, he has transitioned to the new role pretty quickly. He has been extra careful on 1v1 scenarios and has come out on top in most of them. His smart saves have been a constant feature from close ranges and tricky inside-the-box situations.
Most importantly, Courtois is playing behind a transitioning backline, the shifting partnerships and awkward positioning made his job a little more difficult at the start of the season. Right now, the defense looks much stable than at the start of the season. But even then, Real is failing to maintain clean sheets due to defensive mistakes. Carlos Casemiro alone has been at fault twice in quick successions. At other times, it was Nacho or even David Alaba who lacked concentration in key situations. No wonder Real has won most of the last games at a single goal’s margin.
Despite all that, Courtois has done his best for his team without really caring where his stats stand at the end of the game. Real conceding goals has become a routine and Courtois has made his justice with that. He has done his best to keep the number of goals to a minimum which could have been a lot worse and he deserves to be applauded for his effort. He is a rock to this team’s defense and would continue to be as 2022 dawns upon.