Courtois’ injury, the torn meniscus for which he had to undergo surgery, means that the script in Real Madrid’s goal for this season remains intact: Lunin is the starter and Kepa, the reserve. The return of the Belgian was going to put Ancelotti in the difficult situation of having to choose between the Ukrainian, who is earning minutes with his performance, and the goalkeeper who largely gave Madrid the 14th Champions League. Knowing as Carletto already knows that Courtois will not be available until next season, he can relax in that sense, which is no small thing; goalkeeping has been, by far, the issue that has made him raise his eyebrows the most this season. And the one who also knows that his short-term future changes little, with or without Courtois, is Kepa.
The Basque arrived in a hurry on loan from Chelsea in the summer to replace Courtois, who had recently undergone surgery for a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The first two League games went to Lunin because Ancelotti considered that Kepa required some adaptation, but at the minimum the Italian gave himself to the former Athletic player and he responded: in his first ten League games he kept a clean sheet in five and He conceded seven goals. He generated some doubts from above, recognized by Ancelotti himself, but also certainties between the sticks. However, everything went wrong in the warm-up for Madrid-Braga at the Bernabéu.
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Lunin, Kepa and Courtois.JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELADiarioAS
Kepa noticed muscle discomfort and reported it to the medical staff, which quickly involved Lunin’s entry into the eleven. That day Madrid won (2-0) and the Ukrainian put in a remarkable performance, even saving a penalty. After the duel, however, Ancelotti made his position clear: “When Kepa is available, Kepa will play.” That phrase would haunt him for many weeks, especially because he changed his criteria on more than one occasion, to the point that he did not fulfill that promise: after Kepa recovered, he combined both goalkeepers waiting for a final decision, which came in the Spanish Super Cup, in Arabia.
There, Kepa played in the semifinal against Atlético, won 5-3 but with an overhand error by the Basque that could have cost him dearly; Lunin had the final, a military walk against Barça (4-1). After that, Ancelotti only gave Kepa one duel, the League match against Almería at home, with a controversial comeback (3-2) and without anything to accuse the Basque of, who could do little in the Andalusian goals. That happened on January 21; since then, not an official minute for him.
Refugee in daily work
The change has been such that not even Kepa himself would believe it if they told him about it in September, when there was a certain debate about whether Madrid should try to sign him in the summer due to the doubts that Courtois could generate upon his return after such an inactivity. long. “If Madrid calls you, there is not much to think about. Stay? An agreement would have to be reached, but I am delighted,” he said in El Larguero de la SER during the September international break, concentrating with the National Team. That’s another: these continued substitutions have prevented him from going again with Spain, when at that time there was talk of his chances of being a starter in the European Championship if he continued to play everything in Madrid. It now seems an assumed reality that he will not be in Germany.
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And how does Kepa experience all this? They say in those around him that calmly and without affecting him too much. Obviously, with the anger of seeing that every match day his name is not the one chosen by Ancelotti in the starting eleven, but he has decided to take refuge in daily work as medicine in the face of this situation and so that, if the case arises that Carletto wants Give him a game, he can live up to it. In Valdebebas they see the Basque animated in every training session, although their people assume that his path at Real Madrid lasts until June 30. There has been no communication in this regard yet, but they understand that given the situation, the white club will not try to sign him. He will return to Chelsea, with which he has another year left on his contract, and in the summer he will open the range of possibilities he has to decide his path. Last summer market they had an agreement practically made with Bayern and the Bavarian club has not strengthened, it continues to use Neuer and Ulreich between the sticks. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for that window to remain open…
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2024-03-28 18:57:05
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