"Xabi Alonso asks us to do a lot of pressing and drop back quickly"

Thibaut Courtois praised his teammates' defensive attitude after the win, but acknowledged that they could have killed off the game earlier and gave Real Oviedo hope at times. "We created a lot of danger, but their goalkeeper did a great job. We could have secured the win earlier because, at 0-1, they hit the post, but we all defended very seriously. That's going to bring us a lot of victories because we had ten shots on goal and scored three goals, which is important," he said on Real Madrid TV.

Courtois revealed Xabi Alonso's requests to his players. “He asks us to start well from the beginning, to press up front, to be vigilant... If you press high up the pitch, they have no way out, they only have the long ball. It's very difficult for the opponent to get out of the pressure. They can counterattack us, but all the players drop back and that's the line we have to follow.”

On a personal level, Courtois acknowledged that he feels good after his first saves, having had little to do against Mallorca on the first day. “I feel good. Against Osasuna, I didn't have much work to do, and today a little more. The coach asks me to play further forward, I'm running a lot. In the end, I have to stay focused to make the save I made and keep a clean sheet,” he said.

Finally, the Belgian goalkeeper expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome they received on their return to Oviedo. “It was a wonderful reception. We hadn't played here for a long time, and it means a lot to them. They are great fans and it's a great stadium to play in La Liga. In Oviedo, there are a lot of people who support Real Madrid.”