Thibaut Courtois was, in the absence of Carlo Ancelotti, the only Real Madrid representative who appeared at the official UEFA press conference on the eve of the match against Chelsea. The goalkeeper reviewed his moment of form, spoke of how they underestimate his and the team’s individual merits and how the team is facing the quarter-final tie.
Sensations after Vigo and after last year’s game: “In the end, last year’s tie was different, without fans, it was in the semi-finals, later on. This is a new season, it’s the first leg of the quarter-finals, we’re all very good and we know what we’re playing for. We’re going to give it our all to win. With the right intensity, we can win. I hope to do my part to help the team.”
His return to London: “I think it’s my past, I won two leagues and two cups here. My memories are nice, maybe the start wasn’t, but I’m coming here with Madrid to win and reach the semi-finals. That’s the important thing”.
Critics: “It always happens at Madrid, people always have doubts even if you arrive after winning ten games and drawing one. We have full confidence in the whole team and I hope to show it tomorrow”.
His season and his role in the team: “In the end it is a role that falls to me, a goalkeeper today is important not only for stopping, but also for helping in the game. A team that wins titles needs a good goalkeeper. There have been games in which I have not participated as much. I always try to help. In the second half of Vigo they didn’t shoot on goal, those two saves helped keep the tie and in the end we were able to win.”
Ancelotti’s absence: “We are lucky that the second is his son, in the end he is very similar. We know very well how he wants us to train, there is a great coaching staff, he has participated in talks by video call. It makes a difference whether he is on the bench or not, but in Vigo The coaching staff did well, I don’t think it’s a problem.”
Are you worried about what happens at Chelsea?: “Yes, it’s a difficult period, but I think you can see that the people who love Chelsea want to keep the same spirit. This club gave me the opportunity to grow for seven years, on loan at Atleti and playing here. I’m always happy to come back. I hope the new owners understand the club they are buying.”
Champions League
*Data updated as of April 5, 2022
Your personal moment: “It’s one of the best moments of my career. I hope to continue helping the team, making important saves, in a game like this, first leg, it’s essential. I hope we get a good result to return to the Bernabéu”.
Lukaku: “He is a great striker, it is strange not to see him play so much, but he has enormous quality and scores a lot of goals. Obviously there are good strikers at Chelsea, if the team continues to win, the coach repeats with them. My first year in Madrid was not not easy either, I’m sure this will happen”.
Underestimate the merit of Madrid: “We are having a good season. There are eight league games left and refereeing decisions, with or without VAR, can always leave doubts. That is football, there is a gray area and the referee must decide. After Valencia, when they threw three penalties against us, no one said anything. Now it seems that we won only because of the referees, and that’s not the case. There are complicated games, like the one in Vigo, and we pull it off. It’s normal for rivals to take penalties, we attack with players with a lot of quality”.
The 4-3-3 system: “The coach decides, each player can have his opinion, he can ask a player to see his opinion, but the coach chooses. It depends on whether you want to press more or less, it is interesting to put in a fourth midfielder or not. working, but I can’t say much more”.
People who do not value you: “It could be, but what I can do is train hard, as I do, play the best I can and on the field make those people crazy. The goalkeepers are often a matter of taste: tall, short, who play more with their feet or less… There are a lot of goalkeepers, Cech, Kahn, Casillas, Van del Saar… They can give their opinion. Journalists don’t know what it’s like to be under the goal”.
Hazard: “I am sure that it is very useful for us, Hazard’s class is something that is not forgotten. He has not been lucky, but I know he is in good spirits. He is recovering to start the preseason well, with Madrid, and ahead of the World Cup. He would have loved to be here, where he spent so much time. It’s a shame. I’m sure he can contribute a lot to Madrid, I’m still confident. And Vinicius is having a great season and plays in his place”.
It is the best in the world?: “That is the assessment of people like you, of journalists and analysts. Maybe a Spaniard says yes, and an Englishman says no. But I don’t need it, that depends on taste. I know I have to play well to help my team. I’m confident, I think I’m one of the best, confidence is important for goalkeepers. Without confidence, you don’t go after some balls, those details help”.
The rule of the double value of away goals: “Perhaps it changes a bit, as we saw against PSG. We knew that we had to score three goals after losing 1-0 in the first leg. That is more thought after the match, not during the match. It is a good change of rule, in my opinion”.
This Chelsea and the one from last year: “They are the same players, although last year he was on a very good run and this year it is costing him more. We know what we can do, and that is what we hope to do.”