- Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe was kept quiet across two legs by Arsenal
- Thibaut Courtois felt Real missed one of their former players in the tie
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Is it fair for Man United or Tottenham to go straight into the Champions League if they win the Europa League?
Thibaut Courtois has launched a stunning attack on his Real Madrid team-mates after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Arsenal on Wednesday night.
Real entered the second leg of the quarter-final clash needing a miraculous comeback after losing 3-0 at the Emirates last week, and they never looked like pulling it off as they were beaten 2-1 in front of their home fans as Arsenal sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory.
The Spanish giants appeared to quickly run out of ideas on Wednesday night, with their only goal coming from a William Saliba error, as Vinicius Jr dispossessed him before slotting into the unguarded net.
But Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya hardly had a save to make all night, and Courtois believes Real only have themselves to blame after not playing as a collective unit.
‘We are a team, but sometimes I feel like we play too individually,’ he told CBS Sports after the game.
‘When they double-team Vini or Kylian (Mbappe), sometimes it works out, but three, four times, it doesn’t. If we want to win, we need to be better.’
Thibaut Courtois has criticised his Real Madrid team-mates for playing as individuals against Arsenal
He suggested Real are too reliant on individual brilliance from Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe
Arsenal managed to overcome Real due to being a superior collective unit
Vinicius had his one moment in the game where he made a telling impact, but there was no such joy for Mbappe.
The French star was kept quiet across both legs, and Courtois appeared to single him out afterwards as he claimed Real missed not having a ‘natural striker’ and name-checked Joselu as being a player that could potentially have made a difference.
‘In the end, they’re a team that defends well, is well organised, presses well, and it’s difficult to find space,’ Courtois said as he gave credit to Arsenal.
‘We put in a lot of crosses, but this year we don’t have Joselu, a natural striker up front.’
Joselu famously came off the bench to score twice in the dying minutes of Real’s dramatic Champions League semi-final triumph over Bayern Munich last season.
But he was sold to Qatari side Al-Gharafa last summer as Real opted to bring in Mbappe on a free transfer from PSG to replace him.
Mbappe has scored 32 goals in his maiden season in Spain, including seven in the Champions League, but he was kept quiet across both legs against Arsenal.
He is still yet to win European club football’s biggest prize, and Courtois appeared to suggest that his arrival may have unbalanced Real’s squad after they won LaLiga and the Champions League last year.
Mbappe failed to make an impact across both quarter-final legs for Real
Courtois claimed Real missed not having a ‘natural striker’ in their loss to Arsenal
Courtois suggested Real missed Joselu (second left) after his heroics last season
Real are still chasing two trophies, with Carlo Ancelotti’s men four points behind Barcelona in LaLiga, while they will also face their arch-rivals in the Copa del Rey final later this month.
Real will also compete in the newly-expanded Club World Cup this summer, and Courtois urged his team-mates to bounce back quickly from their European exit to finish the season strongly.
‘We have to analyse carefully what we can do better,’ he added. ‘We have a lot of season ahead of us, we have the League on the line, the Cup in ten days, and then the Club World Cup.
‘We thank the fans. Thinking about a comeback was great, and I hope we can bring them some joy this season.’
