Courtois can’t fix it: Real Madrid kept a clean sheet just 2 of 10

Real Madrid have struggled to keep clean sheets this season, managing it in just 2 of 10 matches. In goal, Thibaut Courtois is ever-present, but the team have still conceded 12 goals in those opening games, averaging 1.2 per match.

At the Olímpico in Rome, Courtois made a crucial save early on, stopping a chance in the fourth minute: Dybala shot from the left, the Belgian parried with his fists, and the ball fell inside the area to Mario Hermoso. Courtois then got down and stretched to nudge it away and prevent the goal. Still, the side ended up conceding three.

After the Roma match, Courtois summed it up bluntly: “The mistakes we made cost us three goals… in the case of the first and second goals we lost the ball easily and they hit us on the counter… and we were unlucky when the ball was rejected and went in… The third possibly was a penalty in our favour and it ended up the other way around.”

The broader numbers underline the defensive issues: Real have only recorded clean sheets against Málaga (4-0) and Villarreal (1-0), both at the Bernabéu.