The situation has been particularly complicated for Endrick Felipe, who struggled in his first appearance in this iconic match. Despite this, there is no reason to worry for the virtuoso, nor for Real Madrid fans. This is according to Thibaut Courtois, who admitted that his new teammate simply has to release the pressure when he plays (quotes from Diario AS).
“He’s not very tall, but he’s very strong in his legs. He’s a bit like Eden (Hazard) when I met him at Chelsea – he had strong legs too. You can kick him and he stays up. And he’s got a lot of power in the shot. In training I’ve seen him shoot hard. First of all, I think he needs to calm down a bit. I don’t know if he’s a bit nervous, but he’s going to get better and better.”
Courtois reassures
Courtois also reiterated Carlo Ancelotti’s remarks that the result and performance of the Clasico will have very little influence on the upcoming La Liga season. These pre-seasons we play matches that are interesting for the fans and for the public that goes to the stadium. In the end, the stadiums are full when Real Madrid play. It is obvious that we do not like to lose against Barcelona. Even if it is a pre-season match, we do not want to lose.
“But in the end it’s the season that counts and, as Carvajal said last season, we’ll see. It was a mixture of youngsters and people with first-team experience, both us and them. That’s how it is.”
