El Clasico wasn’t a great occasion for Real Madrid, as they were defeated by Barcelona for the third successive summer. It was especially tough for Endrick Felipe, who struggled in his first appearance in the iconic fixture.
Despite this, there is no reason to worry for Endrick – or Real Madrid supporters. This was stated by Thibaut Courtois, who admitted that his new teammates simply needs to take pressure off himself when playing – quotes via Diario AS.
“He is not very tall, but he is very strong in his legs. He’s a bit like Eden (Hazard) when I met him at Chelsea – he also had strong legs. You can kick him and he’ll still stand. And he has a lot of strength in the shot. In training, I have seen him shoot hard.
“Above all, I think he has to calm down a little bit. I don’t know if he’s a little nervous, but he’s going to get better and better.”
Courtois also re-iterated remarks from Carlo Ancelotti that the result, and performance, of El Clasico will have very little bearing on the season to come.
“These pre-seasons we play games 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 plays. That we don’t like to lose against Barcelona is obvious. Even if it’s pre-season, you don’t want to lose.
“But in the end, when it counts is during the season and as Carvajal said last season, when it comes down to it, we’ll see. It was a mixed match mixing young people with people with experience in the first team, both us and them. It’s just that.”
I’m sure it is simple immaturity and lack of experience playing against grown men who will destroy the weak. He should watch how another dominating young, “strong player” who uses his speed, strength and will to gain the scoring position in front of goal . . . Erling Haaland!
So far Endrick is following in the failed (La Liga experiment) Joao Felix path of just standing around and walking. Neither player actively exert themselves to physically beat their defender which a number 9 has to do. I’m afraid everything has been too easy for him up to this point, including the competition. He will need to grow up fast to earn the money Real have spent on him. Only Leo Messi is good enough to stand around and walk and also earn his money with production.