Courtois told Endrick to calm down as Barca beat Mardid 2-1 in a friendly game

Saturday’s 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 need to take pressure off himself when playing.

 “He is not very tall, but he is very strong in his legs. He is 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.” He told Diario AS.

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.”

Though, Real Madrid named a vastly more experienced side than Barcelona during Saturday’s El Clasico showdown in New Jersey, but ultimately, it was a third successive pre-season defeat for Los Blancos against their bitter rivals.

Last summer, Ancelotti’s side lost 3-0, and in the grand scheme of things, it mattered very little as they went on to win three trophied during the 2023-24 campaign, including La Liga and the Champions League. As expected, Real Madrid’s manager is not worried about the defeat, or the manner of it.

“It was a match with good intensity and good plays. Obviously, we continue our line of preparation, and little by little the players return. We take advantage of these games to give minutes and we continue.

“Let’s not go crazy. They are pre-season games, we are missing eight players… The result is not as important for us as getting the players in good shape.”

Ancelotti also spoke on Vinicius, who threatened throughout his 33-minute cameo in his first appearance of pre-season.

“He was good and looked in good shape. It is clear that he has worked on vacation. The players are now back in good physical shape and don’t need a lot of work.”

There’s certainly no cause for concern for Real Madrid after this defeat. It would have been nice to claim some bragging rights, but they’d much prefer it if that happened next May/June.