Real Madrid's tactics for Arsenal defeat questioned by key starter

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has questioned why his teammates opted to attempt so many crosses in Wednesday's Champions League exit at the hands of Arsenal.

Having fallen to a shock 3-0 defeat in the first leg, Madrid had to throw everything at the Gunners when they visited the Bernabeu on Wednesday but failed to really lay a finger on Mikel Arteta's side, who picked up another 2-1 win to triumph 5-1 on aggregate.

Vinicius Junior scored in the second half following a huge mistake from William Saliba but most of Madrid's attacking play was surprisingly focused on crosses. Los Blancos attempted a whopping 43 crosses but completed just seven as Saliba and Jakub Kiwior gleefully rebuffed the ambitious punts into the box, where central striker Kylian Mbappe never looked like competing.

In recent years, Madrid have had strikers better-suited to such an approach, with last season's towering loanee Joselu particularly capable in the air, and Courtois admitted after the game he could not understand why his teammates felt Mbappe would be able to win the aerial battle.

"We can't always expect the four up front to dribble past three players and score a great goal," Courtois began. "As a team, we have to attack and defend better.

"In the end, they're a team that defends well, are well-organised, press well, and it's difficult to find space. We put in a lot of crosses, but this year we don't have Joselu, a natural striker up front. We have to analyse carefully what we can do better.

"Sometimes you have to be self-critical and look at everything carefully. Everyone has to do this. I feel like we're a team, but we have to make more team plays and not just individual ones. If they double-mark Vini or Kylian, a two-on-one can work once, but not five times. We still have a good [Copa del Rey] final against Barca, La Liga, and the Club World Cup."

Elimination from the Champions League ramps up the pressure on a Madrid side whose hopes of winning silverware this season are fading rapidly.

Carlo Ancelotti's side sit second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona, who they will also meet in the Copa del Rey final on 26 April. That may be the manager's final game as reports suggest he could soon be replaced.

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