Carlo Ancelotti spoke about Andriy Lunin after his stunning performance against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-final. When asked about the goalkeeper who should play in the final of the competition, should they qualify, the Madrid manager deflected the question.
Back in goal on Wednesday evening, Andriy Lunin put in a very good performance. Despite limited playing time due to Thibaut Courtois’ return to competition, the Ukrainian keeper continues to deliver whenever he plays. Once again in goal against Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, he made six crucial saves. Lunin, who earned the highest rating of the match for his exceptional performance that helped Real win the first leg of the Copa del Rey, has firmly positioned himself as the goalkeeper who should see the competition through to the end. For Carlo Ancelotti, there is no debate.
Ancelotti’s words on Lunin
Asked about his young goalkeeper’s performance in the post-match press conference, the Italian coach was full of praise. Carlo Ancelotti has already confirmed that Courtois’ backup will play the second leg of the semi-final against Sociedad. “He played very well. He’s a very reliable goalkeeper. He did very well last year and this year as well. He’ll play the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final,“ said the 65-year-old manager, before refusing to comment further on the situation.
While the media are already opening the debate about which goalkeeper will play in the final of the tournament, Ancelotti believes it is too early to discuss. “Opening the debate about who will play in a potential final seems a long way off,” the Madrid manager quickly stated. If the debate has already started in the media, it is likely due to the quality of the Ukrainian goalkeeper, who still does not have his manager’s full trust.
The scenario from last season that should not be repeated
Last season, Carlo Ancelotti chose to field Thibaut Courtois in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, despite Lunin having done the bulk of the work through to the semi-finals. During UEFA’s most-watched competition, the young goalkeeper put in phenomenal performances against teams such as Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Today, bringing in another goalkeeper in the event of qualification for the Copa del Rey final would be a very bad sign for Andriy Lunin, who continues to prove he remains one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
According to Opta José, the six saves made by the Madrid backup on Wednesday evening against Real Sociedad are the most saves made by a Real Madrid goalkeeper in a match without conceding a goal in all competitions this season, and the most saves without conceding a goal since at least the 2013/2014 season. In any case, the Madrid team can boast of having two top goalkeepers to rely on in all competitions.
Leave a Reply