Thibaut Courtois continues to impress and it is never unusual for him to be named as the player of the match. The same happened in the first Super Copa game: the Belgian was named MVP for the semi-final against Valencia played in Riyadh. The goalkeeper was instrumental in Real Madrid’s victory with several key saves over the 120 minutes and then in the penalty shoot-out, where he saved Gayá’s spot-kick.
After the match, the Belgian giant analyzed the tough game. He appreciated the performance of his teammates but also recognized the opponent’s effort: “We were good with the penalties but we weren’t so good in front of goal. They had some chances towards the end, but I managed to make the saves. We have to keep improving and we have a few days to train hard”, he said.
He also expressed something regarding the possible final opponent stating that both Barcelona and Betis are very good teams and Real Madrid will surely be prepared: “We don’t care. They’re both very good sides and they’re playing well. Both of them will make it difficult for us and it’s going to be a great final. Let’s see who wins out of the two and then we’ll see the gaffer’s tactics that will help us perform at our best”.
Dependence on Courtois: “That doesn’t worry me. Perhaps we have to find a way of scoring more goals and, in my case, of not conceding goals like the one against Villarreal the other day. We have to start the second half better, but it also depends on the coaches’ tactics. We have to see where we can improve with the coaching staff, but there’s noting to be concerned about”.
Penalty shootout strategies: “While it's true that we don't train for penalty shoot-outs, obviously if a teammate wants to take a penalty in training, then go ahead. I watch videos of the penalties that have been taken, for example Cavani, who in his last few games has placed them more to the right and that's why I went that way. Gayà missed against Sevilla on the left side and before that he went down the middle, so that's why I went that way. My teammates have also shot very well and that's to their credit”.
Recovering from Injury: “There’ve been games in which I haven’t felt that comfortable. But these aren’t excuses, when you play, you play. Maybe in some decisive stops I wasn't there, but I still felt very good. After the World Cup we solved the problem and I'm at 100 per cent now. I try to help the team as much as I can and I hope that I’ll be there to help the team on Sunday”.
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