Thibaut Courtois admits Real Madrid lack a ‘natural striker’: ‘We don’t have a Joselu’

Joselu was Real Madrid’s hero in the Champions League last season

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has lamented Real Madrid’s lack of a “natural striker” - admitting the club are in dire need of a Joselu-type player.

Los Blancos crashed out of the Champions League last night at the hands of Arsenal, failing to even hint at staging a remontada as the Gunners came out 2-1 victors on the night, following on from their 3-0 thrashing in the first leg.

At the heart of Real Madrid’s woes was their toothless attack, who looked lost under the Bernabeu lights and seemed unable to do damage to Arsenal off their own back - with their only goal coming from a defensive blunder from William Saliba that allowed Vinicius Jr to fire into an open net.

Struggling to break down Arsenal’s back-line through slick passing play, Carlo Ancelotti’s side opted to pepper David Raya’s box with crosses.

Courtois believes this was an ill-advised tactic due to the side’s lack of a true number nine - yearning for former Stoke City striker Joselu, who was their Champions League saviour last year.

"In the end, they're a team that defends well, is well organized, presses 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,” he said.

“We have to analyze carefully what we can do better. We have a lot of season ahead of us, we have the League on the line, the Cup in ten days, and then the Club World Cup. We thank the fans. Thinking about a comeback was great, and I hope we can bring them some joy this season."

Joselu, who spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Real Madrid from Espanyol, came up trumps for the Galacticos as he scored two late and decisive goals in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, flipping the tie on its head to send Real through to the final in Wembley, which they went on to win.

Joselu was Real Madrid’s hero in the Champions League last season (EPA)

He had previously endured lacklustre stints at Premier League sides Stoke and Newcastle but wrote himself into Real Madrid folklore with his seismic contribution to the club’s 15th Champions League title.

However, the Madristas have failed in their defence of the crown after being dumped out of the competition by Arsenal, with Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time winner adding salt to the wounds at the Bernabeu.

Arsenal will now face PSG in the Champions League last four, who held off a riotous comeback from Aston Villa to edge through.