Didac Aguirre Courtois doesn't mince words as he talks about the differences between Xabi Alonso and Ancelotti.
After the match against Al Hilal, Thibaut Courtois spoke to the media, comparing Ancelotti with Xabi Alonso
Thibaut Courtois was asked after Real Madrid's draw against Al Hilal. He answered bluntly, as is usually the case with him.
"We still have Ancelotti's automatisms and that doesn't change in four days. We lacked more possession and shouldn't have chased the ball so much. In the second half we were better," said the Belgian goalkeeper.
Thibaut Courtois states after yesterday's match that the team still has Carlo Ancelotti's automatisms and Xabi Alonso needs more time to impose his own
If Real Madrid lacked anything under Ancelotti in his last season, it was balance. That was evident in the first half yesterday against the Saudi team.
But the major change Xabi Alonso wants to make in the play of the white team lies in moving the ball quickly and stringing passes together until they find the free man. That will take time; it can't be achieved in the few training sessions he's had to prepare with all the players for the first match of the Club World Cup.
The Basque coach also wants them to press high up the field. There were imbalances that caused scares at the back when the Saudis, who have high-level players from European soccer, managed to break the press and run into open space.
Xabi Alonso is very clear about the aspects of the game in which Real Madrid needs to improve, balance being one of them and essential
This is the lack of balance Xabi Alonso referred to in the post-match press conference. It's one of the points the team needs to improve significantly if it wants to compete for all the titles.
Sunday's match against Pachuca will serve to see if the automatisms Thibaut Courtois mentioned are being acquired by Real Madrid's players. The Madrid coach himself stated a day before the match against Al Hilal that the white team would be much better at the end of the championship than at the beginning.
There will be many training sessions and more matches to polish the team's flaws and to implement his ideas and his vision of soccer.
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