Interview.Courtois: "Before Oblak, Ter Stegen or before me, a rival thinks about it"
Thibaut Courtois
excels under sticks and at the microphone, very confident too.
He knows himself, knows his successes and mistakes, and thus analyzes them.
His is surprising in the usual flat speeches of footballers, almost always engrossed in the majestic plural, without wanting to personalize either out of false modesty, modesty or lack of desire for prominence.
The Belgian goalkeeper, no.
He talks about himself and even uses adjectives.
After the match against
Betis
, he himself remembered the stop he made
endo the foot, with a tie on the scoreboard, as in the summary of Wednesday night, after the sweaty
1-0 to Valladolid
, with him holding the result.
"I had to make good saves and then we did not finish the game and it cost us," he commented on the second victory in the League. "He is from Madrid even in that", they say around him about the security that he spends, that touch of cocky well understood, so important for a top athlete.
"Before
Oblak
,
Ter Stegen
or before me, a rival thinks twice before shooting, "he said
in an interview with this newspaper
a few months ago.
The Belgian has started the new season as the previous one ended, giving his team points, along with Ramos and
Benzema
it was erected as a pillar of
Madrid
champion, a line that is stretching now, while his team struggles to stretch.
Two wins fought and a draw are the loot, of more caliber than the game exhibited.
The lack of preseason is the excuse he uses
Zinedine Zidane
, although he himself acknowledges that they must
raise the level of play a lot
.
As soon as possible, who does not put a single fault is his goalkeeper.
Yes, he has saved us, like many times lately.
We know what Thibaut can do and what I like is also with the ball, starting from behind, ”his coach praised him after the last victory.
The coach also values his footwork, a relief for the centrals.
But if the goalkeeper is standing out again for something in the League, it is because of his interventions, remembering (or already surpassing) the version he showed when he was a young soldier of
Simeone
in that Athletic League champion and runner-up in Europe.
Rejects forbidden
Hands down, up at point-blank range, exits cutting with the boot, becoming even bigger than its 199 centimeters in height ... The statistics of the League say that it accumulates nine saves, without underlining the quality of the same or another key aspect in the Elite goalkeepers: the fate of the rejects.
It is as important to clear correctly as to do it out of reach of the striker.
That is, not allowing a second shot, which is almost always lethal on these occasions, as the goalkeeper is beaten.
Iker Casillas
He was an expert in this luck and Courtois trains him especially together with
Roberto Vazquez
, the goalkeeper coach who has worked with Zidane since his time at Castilla, from Galician parents and child companion of Gabi and Fernando Torres in the Atlético quarry, came to the club at the insistence of
Miguel Angel,
legend of the madridista goal.
After saying no once, he ended up accepting later, as an advantageous pupil of
Lluis Llopis
, the goalkeeping coach with ZZ in the stage of the three Champions won.
Vazquez
(37 years old), with a reputation as a scientist in the locker room - for his avant-garde methods and his precision - records the exercises himself, with a camera in hand, while, perhaps, he throws tennis balls at
Courtois
.
These videos are then edited and passed on to the goalkeepers so that, in the afternoon at home, they can review them and see mistakes and successes.
After the penalty shoot-out of the Super Cup final, where the goalkeeper stopped Thomas' shot, both he and Zidane
they mentioned Vázquez
to thank you for your work.
Courtois
explained to club employees in
Valdebebas
how he had put the «heavy hand» in the stop that with 1-0 he made on Wednesday against the
Valladolid
.
They say in Madrid that he shares with Eden Hazard the self-confidence, that tone of a neighborhood boy with a lot of confidence in himself.
Fortune differentiates them, although 10 promises to be back
ahead of schedule
.
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