Discussed by every fan in every corner, the decision as to who should play in goal for Real Madrid has preoccupied the country, stolen the headlines and left fans to dwell in a perpetual state of curiosity.
It was thought that Iker Casillas had lost his starting role for Madrid due to a tense relationship shared with Jose Mourinho. When it was announced Carlo Ancelotti would take over in the summer, it was quickly assumed Casillas would be reinstated to the starting XI. That is until Villiam Vecchi arrived.
Vecchi is a goalkeeping Coach who has spent much of his career working alongside Ancelotti for clubs such as Parma and Milan, training the world’s best including Gianluigi Buffon and Dida. When Ancelotti left Italy to take up positions abroad, Vecchi stayed put in Milan, to be close to his parents, who are now over 90 years old. However, when Madrid came calling, Vecchi couldn’t resist the challenge to join Ancelotti in Spain, in hopes of facilitating the Coach in his decision-making.
Having worked with both goalkeepers each day, Vecchi prefers Diego Lopez on a purely sporting level. For one thing, Casillas is not yet back to full fitness and Lopez offers current guarantees. He has proved immense in the air and better with his feet than the captain. With Ancelotti favouring a more possession-based style of football, he has seemingly been advised to select Lopez to facilitate Los Blancos’ patterns of play.
However, Casillas offers something Lopez cannot – the ability to rally the troops. There were games last term, such as the match against Borussia Dortmund, that cried out for the encouraging words of the captain, but he was unable to contribute fully whilst seated on the bench. Moreover, on a commercial level, Casillas is the perfect Florentino Perez player – a global icon, a marketing machine and one half of Spain’s most glamorous couple.
The perceived war between the goalkeepers has unfortunately created a very real war between the fans. There are those who are relentless with their chants, shouting ‘Iker, Iker’ at any opportunity, just as there are others who applaud Diego Lopez. Some have referred to the supporters of the latter as Mourinho lovers, but a certain number of them simply support the club and whoever is on the pitch. “We support Madrid, the team and not individual players. Whoever is playing will receive our support because he is representing our team, fighting for our glory,” explained one fan.
Whilst Casillas is a national institution, it should be remembered that Lopez is also a Real Madrid player and therefore just as worthy of support from the fans, especially with dazzling displays, like the one against Real Betis.
Ancelotti has indeed inherited Mourinho’s problem – forced to listen to everyone’s public opinion as to who should be the No 1 goalkeeper. Having lived with intense pressure throughout his career and especially under Milan’s Silvio Berlusconi, the pressure to choose correctly will not burden him. Meritocracy is the answer.
