Real Madrid’s first game of the Xabi Alonso era was not up to expectations. But it is also worth mentioning that the expectations were too high. To demand a complete change of playing style after only a few training sessions is silly.
Yes, there were many faults apparent in the game against Al Hilal, but none of them can be blamed on Xabi Alonso. The manager has proven his worth in one of the toughest football leagues, and with time, he will do it in Madrid as well. Judging his methods after only one game is stupid at best.
And Real Madrid’s goalkeeper said something similar after the Club World Cup game. When asked about their performance, the goalkeeper was brutally honest and said, “We still have Ancelotti’s automatisms and that cannot be changed in four days.”
While these comments were true and uncoated, a lot of backlash soon followed. Fans on social media were clearly not pleased with his words and called him out for “blaming” Carlo Ancelotti even after the manager had left.
Courtois’ words were blunt, but not insulting, and he clarified that
Taking questions from the press before the upcoming game against Pachuca, Courtois was asked about what he thought of his words, and he said:
“But I didn't mean it as a criticism. Not at all. We've won so much in the last four years! I simply wanted to say that things are a little different now. It's not a criticism, but rather that there comes a time when you have to adapt to something different, get closer to that style. It's not a criticism of the last four years; it's just something different.”
I believe there was no need for such a clarification. Yes, Courtois’s words about Ancelotti were blunt, but it was clearly not out of criticism. It was an honest acceptance of change and an effort to explain to the fans that transitioning from one style to another takes time.
All of it was meant only to say:
“See, we have a new manager we’ve barely spent time with, and we still have a lot to learn about his methods, because for the past four years we’ve adapted to someone else’s. So don’t jump the gun and give us some time to impress you.”
That, in my opinion, was the very crux of Thibaut Courtois’s words. The player has always been blunt in his interviews. He doesn’t sugarcoat things or speak in media-friendly terms, he pours his heart out. There was no reason for this backlash, and now that he has clarified it, the matter should be settled.