After the win over Athletic Club, Courtois gave a clear assessment of Real Madrid’s improved performance and the mentality shift required to avoid repeat lapses. “In the first half in Girona, we didn’t give enough, and we have to understand that today, if you don’t play at 100%, you can easily be beaten. What we’ve said is that we need to stop talking and start acting. Matches are always different; Athletic plays with a high defensive line, which creates more space, and it’s more difficult for us against Girona or Elche when they defend,” he told Diario AS.
He also highlighted the collective effort behind their victory. “We can improve against teams that play deep. It was a good team performance. We have to keep working and believing. In the end, we’re a team, and everyone has their role. Everyone played a great game. Everyone wants to contribute to the team’s success.”
Courtois then addressed rumours of a strained relationship between the dressing room and Alonso, insisting the situation had been exaggerated externally. “I think we’re always close to him. Ultimately, we’re at Real Madrid, any small gesture is magnified by 10, and we’re people. Sometimes tensions are high, but I don’t think there was a problem between the team and the manager,” he told El Chiringuito. “We started very well. In relationships, there are always better or worse moments, but I don’t think any player has felt that they were not OK with him, and we’re always OK. I don’t think there was ever a problem, on the outside, there’s always noise, but internally, we don’t notice it. There’s a lot of talk externally, when maybe on the inside it’s not like that, but we can’t come out and deny everything.”