Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois slams team-mates after 4-0 defeat to Barcelona

Thibaut Courtois has slammed his Real Madrid team-mates after their thrashing at the hands of Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clasico. 

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were humiliated at the Santiago Bernabeu by their biggest rivals, with Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang netting a brace, while Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres also got onto the scoresheet.

Los Blancos were missing some key players including Karim Benzema, but had more time to prepare for the game as Barcelona played away at Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday.

The keeper believes players didn’t fight for the badge and that they could have lost by more

After the game, Courtois told Spanish television channel Movistar, as per Sport: ‘Today we gave an unacceptable image for this club. There are players missing, but you didn’t notice that it was them that played Thursday (in Istanbul). 

‘They found a lot of space. We weren’t compact and weren’t able to keep the goals out. For the first goal, they anticipate better at the front post and we’re not switched on for the second either. 

‘After the break, we think we can come back, and after 10 seconds Ferran Torres is one on one with me.’

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted a brace while Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres also got on the scoresheet

Courtois in his post-match interview also questioned the tactics of manager Carlo Ancelotti.

He referred to the last time Real Madrid played with a false nine – which was in their 1-0 Copa del Rey exit to Athletic Bilbao last month.

He said: ‘We will have to talk about the tactics internally. They haven’t worked at the start of the game or the second half, we have to discuss it internally, not here.

‘We played with a false nine in the Copa and hardly had any shots and it was the same here. We started okay, we had a chance with Fede Valverde which Marc ter Stegen saved well, but from there we dropped off. 

Courtois says Real Madrid players gave an ‘unacceptable image’ of the club in the El Clasico

He also questioned the tactics of Carlo Ancelotti and pointed out their prior struggles playing with a false nine

‘We didn’t find the free man playing out and that makes it hard. Then in the second half, we cannot start like that. This badge demands that you fight and in the second half we did not. We could have lost by even more.’

Fortunately for Madrid, they have already built a comfortable lead at the top of LaLiga – a nine point advantage over Sevilla with nine games remaining.

Barcelona endured a miserable start to the season under former boss Ronald Koeman but have found their way again under club legend Xavi.

They have now won their last five games on the bounce and have climbed up to third in the league.