When Carlo Ancelotti arrived at Real Madrid to succeed Jose Mourinho last summer, there was widespread expectation that he would restore Iker Casillas as his undisputed starting goalkeeper following the club captain’s long and ugly personal spat with the departed Portuguese coach.
However, Ancelotti surprised everyone by instigating a rotation policy, preferring Diego Lopez for the league campaign and relegating Casillas to cup games only.
That decision provided plenty of thinking material. Mourinho’s decision to bench Casillas, it had always been assumed, was entirely personal and had nothing to do with his ability as a goalkeeper.
Diego Lopez a better goalkeeper than Iker Casillas? The very notion seemed preposterous.
The fact that Ancelotti also spotted sufficient flaws in Casillas’ game to prefer Lopez in La Liga, however, provided a fresh dimension to the debate.
And 12 months down the line, the number of Madrid fans who still position themselves firmly in the pro-Casillas camp is dwindling by the day.
Although the Madrid icon finished last season by winning both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, Casillas was fortunate to get away with a poor mistake to gift Atletico the opening goal in the Champions League Final.
He was then terrible for Spain in the World Cup, making a howling error for one of Robin van Persie’s goals in the Netherlands’ 5-1 group stage victory and arguably at error for at least two more Dutch goals.
And now Casillas’ problems are continuing in pre-season, with his contribution questionable for all three of Manchester United’s goals in Saturday’s friendly loss in Michigan: he was beaten at his near post by Ashley Young for the opener, failed to cut out Young’s cross for the second and then ran off his line far too late to prevent Javier Hernandez adding the third.
With Keylor Navas now signed, next Tuesday night’s UEFA Super Cup could be little short of an audition for Casillas.
If he fluffs his lines again, never mind ‘cup goalkeeper’: he might not play at all.
