Courtois: Losing a game at Real Madrid is a crisis, but you learn to deal with it over time

Before preparing for the crucial World Cup qualifying match against Wales, Belgian goalkeeper Courtois emphasized in an interview that the team must remain calm when playing away games, especially in the opening stage of the game, and must not "get too crazy". In addition, he also said that he would face a crisis if he lost a game at Real Madrid.

Do you feel there is more pressure in the qualifying rounds of Group J?

Of course, there will be pressure tomorrow. We should have won the game against North Macedonia last Friday. We played well in that game, but we didn't create enough opportunities in the last 10-15 meters. The pressure on the team will be even greater tomorrow. But even if we win, there will be pressure in Cardiff. Winning is important. But if you can't win, you absolutely can't lose.

Why is the Wales team often a difficult opponent for Belgium?

This is a typical English team, here (Cardiff) knows how to take advantage of the support of the home fans. They play with a lot of intensity and have big players. This allowed them to play long balls in behind our defence. We have to stay calm and find space under high pressure or work our way out of difficult situations as a team.

In the first 15-20 minutes of the game, because they have to win, the atmosphere on the court will be very oppressive. So we can't get too crazy. I hope we can find our rhythm. Easy games are over, except against some weaker teams. Our qualifying campaign has been generally good so far. We only conceded 2 points twice against North Macedonia. The first leg was a stupid goal conceded late in the game.

What is the mentality of the players and young players after Thursday's 0-0 draw?

The mentality is very good. Everyone was disappointed after Thursday's game, but that's a good sign. We are ready for the Cardiff game. Many of our young players are already playing in big clubs. They face this environment every week. If some players don't have that experience, I believe myself and De Bruyne can help them. Many are also facing pressure at their own clubs. For example, at Real Madrid, if you lose a game, it's a crisis. But you learn to cope with it over time. The older you get, the easier it is to deal with.

Everyone understands the importance of this away challenge to Wales. We must concentrate and not be intimidated by the atmosphere and intensity of the game. Personally I love coming here, it's a great pitch and atmosphere, it's a great night of football and it would be even better if we could take three points away.

What do you think of your centre-back combination?

Tite and Debast have accumulated a lot of experience. They did a good job of pressing high and winning the ball back. Of course, we have played against Liechtenstein, Kazakhstan and now North Macedonia. So we weren't really tested. It will be very different against Wales.

Being eliminated by Wales in the 2016 European Cup. Is this your worst memory in the national team?

No, the worst memory is the 2018 World Cup semi-final loss to France (0-1). But a loss like 2016 always hurts. What's more, we knew very well how Wales played at the time. The result and process of the game were not as we expected. But that has been almost 10 years. Now, that loss doesn't hurt me anymore.

source:7 m