Hola, Thibaut Courtois. After more than 8 months of injuries, the Belgian top goalkeeper makes a soft return to the Real Madrid selection. For the time being behind the stand-in who did excellently, but what if the Champions League final looms? Assessing an impending dilemma.
Sunday afternoon, at the very top of the list of convocados for the match against Bayern Munich.
Yesterday I played around with Jude Bellingham through the plane bridge and a few hours later completed the final training in the Allianz Arena without any problems.
And today? Finally wake up with a match day feeling. Immediately for a semi-final in the Champions League.
Thibaut Courtois is finally a footballer again.
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Ukrainian hero
Don’t expect the Red Devil to score against Bayern tonight. If we can believe his coach, the real return will only be on Saturday against Cadiz.
But the fact that Courtois will soon be on the selection sheet can be called a victory in itself.
Last season was one in which almost everything that could go wrong in terms of sport went wrong. Just before the start of the competition, the goalkeeper tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee. And in mid-March – a comeback seemed imminent – the alarm bells went off again due to a meniscus injury.
Because the Limburger left nothing to chance during his rehabilitation, a very interesting end to the season awaits him – despite the setback.
My return? Andrij is doing very well, there is no need to hurry.
Thibaut Courtois
The return of a club legend such as Courtois is of course welcomed with applause at the Royal.
But is a quick return to goal also absolutely necessary from a sporting point of view? Opinions differ on this in the Spanish capital. During Courtois’ absence, Andrij Loenin presented himself as a more than worthy stand-in.
Especially in the captivating quarter-final against Manchester City, the Ukrainian goalkeeper scored a lot of credit with a handful of good saves and a hero’s role in the penalty shootout.
“Loenin has certainly done well,” Real expert Stef Wijnants also saw in recent months. “He won the competition with Kepa – a Spaniard from the national team – and there was little commotion around his role.”
Courtois himself also recently reassured his supporters that his comeback did not require any urgency. “My return? Andrij is doing very well, there is no need to rush.”
Courtois with his colleague Loenin on the plane.
Driven to win prizes
Yet it is quite possible that the goalkeeper position at Real Madrid will become a particularly hot topic in the coming weeks.
Because what if Courtois immediately reaches or approaches his best level again? And his team will play the Champions League final on June 1?
You understand that a tricky dilemma awaits coach Carlo Ancelotti. Does the Spanish success coach opt for his best-quality goalkeeper who has little rhythm? Or for the man who brought them to London?
You can be sure that a driven prize winner like Courtois secretly has that first scenario in mind.
Suppose Courtois shows that he is back on track, Ancelotti might have doubts
Stef Wijnants
“But then he will have to be completely fit,” says Wijnants. “Physically and mentally. Look, a possible final would be coming soon. And then the question is how many matches he has under his belt.”
“Moreover, Courtois himself has always emphasized that he wants to be 100 percent fit to play the top matches. But are matches against Cadiz, Granada and Alaves good indicators? Some people sometimes underestimate how difficult it is for a goalkeeper to return after a cruciate ligament injury.”
Although Wijnants does not dare to completely rule out that the pecking order will shift in the coming weeks.
“Because if Courtois shows that he is ready again, Ancelotti might have doubts. Until then, he will undoubtedly stick with the men who have done well in recent months. And Loenin is certainly one of them at the moment. But that Courtois is intrinsically the best is a goalkeeper, Ancelotti also knows.”
32 days left until the final.
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2024-04-30 09:59:28
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