Thibaut Courtois reveals reason for Real Madrid's draw with Al-Hilal in Club World Cup 2025

Los Blancos begin their Club World Cup campaign with a disappointing draw.

Speaking about Real Madrid’s lacklustre start under Xabi Alonso, Thibaut Courtois clarified that Carlo Ancelotti’s “automatisms” are still present in the team.

Goalie Courtois claims that after four years of playing under Ancelotti, Madrid are still suffering from the hangover.

After their sad debut under new head coach Alonso, in which they were only able to draw 1-1 with underdogs Al-Hilal, the Belgian talked to the media. However, Courtois is still optimistic that things will get better in the future.

After the game, Thibaut Courtois spoke to the media and gave an explanation for the lacklustre performance.

Thibaut Courtois highlights the actual reason for Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal

He stated:

 “We’ve been with Carlo for four years, we have certain automatisms, and now we have to change them to what the new manager wants.”

The 33-year-old urged everyone to remain patient, adding:

“It’s not something that can be changed in four days; it doesn’t happen immediately. We’re watching videos and talking a lot. We’ll learn from this game, and things will improve in the future.”

After Ancelotti arrived in the summer of 2021, Madrid were coached by him for four years. However, Alonso hasn’t even been the new Blancos manager for a month. Furthermore, since the players returned from international duty earlier this month, he has only had a few training sessions with them.

They also lost Kylian Mbappe, who was absent from the match because of the flu, and it is not certain if he will play in the next match. It will take time for the players to adjust to the coach’s demands and strategies, even though Madrid’s debut match under the Tolosa native was anything but convincing.

When Los Merengues play Mexican team Pachuca in the next Club World Cup match on Sunday, June 22, they will be looking to record their first victory under Alonso. The pressure will also be on players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, who made a dismal debut for his new team.

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