For MadridistasThe most wonderful thing about Carlo Ancelotti is that he continues to win trophies for his club. For the rest of us, it is a happy bonus that the Italian savant has been blessed with charming and well-judged wit and humor. It is a total pleasure to have you in Spain.
The latest example of his genius was in the supposed debate over whether Thibaut Courtois, out all season due to anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injuries (although he is the number one goalkeeper in the world, in Ancelotti's opinion) or Andriy Lunin, genuinely heroic against RB Leipzig and Manchester. City, now LaLiga champion, should start on Saturday at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund.
Ancelotti joked: “I love this kind of external debate, especially in weeks like this, when I don't have much to do,” he said with a smile. “So if I told you who was going to start, then I would miss out on listening to the next few days of fun debate because that would already be over!
“It's not a big deal: one plays and the other is on the bench. Look… it's actually a difficult decision because Lunin deserves to play for many reasons just like Courtois, because he is the best in the world.”
Gentle, very funny, in which he eliminates stress with a funny response: That's typical Ancelotti, although it's actually an important topic.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)
Spoiler alert: Unless something unfortunate and unpredictable happens between now and Saturday's kickoff at Wembley Stadium, it will be the Belgian great, who initially thought he was going to be a professional volleyball player until his teens, who will start. in the goal of the new champions of Spain. For those obsessed with guessing the of history. An end in itself.
For everyone else, especially the Italian, the Belgian and the Ukrainian, the starting eleven is just the beginning.
I think there is a general perception that Madrid, by hook or by crook, is almost certain to win this final. I'm in favor of that idea, but this column is intended to overturn the concept that The whites' in UEFA finals (they have not lost a Champions League final in 43 years and are unbeaten in any UEFA knockout final since the defeat against Aberdeen in the 1983 Cup Winners' Cup) is something they have achieved “only because They are Madrid.”
And so Courtois will begin, but let's admit one thing: it's no guarantee that this will automatically be “his” night.
Yes, Courtois is a giant among goalkeepers: Ancelotti, in my opinion, is right when he says he is the best. Or at least when he is fully fit and in shape. The Belgian missed around 95% of the season and, although his return to play has been successful and impressive, he would draw your attention to another ACL injury on the Madrid team: Éder Militão.
The centre-back returned to the line-up in early April, appeared to be in top form and soon became a strong candidate to start against Dortmund. Then, as is often the case with those returning from long-term injuries, his slow and steady return suddenly hit the ceiling at Villarreal, in a game in which he looked rusty, indecisive and in need of four or five more demanding games to be back at his best level.
The Brazilian was doing well, showing signs of being a model of recovery where everything was going well… and then he wasn't, and they weren't. Going from 4-1 to Villarreal and then, in the blink of an eye, being destroyed by a team in yellow to tie 4-4. That simply cannot be allowed on Saturday.
Maybe what happened to Militao won't happen to Courtois, but it could, and Ancelotti knows it. ACL injury used to devastate and actually end many high-level careers. It doesn't have the same effect in the modern era, but it's still hugely damaging to the knee. I hope and pray that neither his knee ligaments nor, more pertinently, Courtois' sharpness, concentration, form and confidence affect him in what is only his third Champions League final and a chance to win his second medal.
However, the key takeaway is that Ancelotti needs to use another of his great skills: the ability to be the “player whisperer.”
1:12
Carlo Ancelotti reveals his routine before the UCL final
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti reveals his preparation of the Champions League final meal before the match against Borussia Dortmund.
Lunin must be told, at the right moment, what he already senses: that his brilliance in the competition this season is only going to give him a place on the bench. It will be a hard blow, although it was expected, but from then on it is necessary to keep the Ukrainian in the right frame of mind. It is necessary for him to continue believing that it is imperative that he remain prepared. Not in a condescending “I was born smart, boss!” form of thumbs-up approval, but in reality, truly 100% into the races and entering the Wembley battle zone with the mindset that it could still easily fall to him to win the trophy.
Some examples.
Remember Madrid”Ninth” (or ninth trophy)? The 2002 Hampden final, remembered almost exclusively for Zinedine Zidane's all-time great volley?
César Sánchez started that game for Vicente Del Bosque's team, but he was injured and had to leave early. Young Iker Casillas arrived to produce what Marca this week called “three miraculous saves to preserve a work of art goal.” At that moment, Casillas was disappointed, but he was also prepared. both in terms of mentality and performance. Even if when César came out, Casillas was not ready with his goalkeeper shirt: he delayed the game because he insisted on cutting most of the sleeves with first aid scissors before going in, because he was very superstitious.
Let's think about Madrid's 2018 triumph in Kyiv. Liverpool lost Mo Salah to injury after half an hour and it took them forever to look like they believed they could manage without him. Gareth Bale, truly furious at being benched, came on in the 61st minute and less than two minutes later he was “ready” enough to score a wonderful goal that could match Zidane's at Hampden in terms of beauty, difficulty and impact .
These injury/bench/mentality moments often make big differences in important, pressure-soaked finishes. How well prepared a disappointed and disgruntled player is, despite being eliminated, can often have a huge impact.
The details may be for another column, but Xavi Hernández always says that if Andrés Iniesta had not come on at half-time against a 10-man Arsenal team in the 2006 Paris final, Barcelona were going to lose a game in which they crashed 2-1 at the end. It's also not entirely unheard of that Courtois needs to be replaced: I was at the 2019 Champions League match against Club Brugge at the Bernabéu when the Belgians were leading 2-0 and the Belgian left, ill, at half-time.
Just as an anecdotal comment, Wembley is by no means a talismanic place for either Madrid or Courtois. Quite surprising, The whites I have only played there once (losing to Spurs, who were temporary tenants of the home of English football in 2017) and Courtois has suffered far more disappointments than triumphs at Wembley. He lost two Community Shields with Chelsea, missed a penalty in the shootout the second time, was eliminated from the 2015 League Cup final after having played both semi-final games and lost the Cup final FA 2017.
The counterarguments are beating Spurs in the league when they were hosted at Wembley and, under Toni Rüdiger, winning the 2018 FA Cup final.
This is my way of saying: Ancelotti is a fun guy to report on, he will pick Courtois to start against Dortmund, but he will also need to keep Andriy Lunin's spirits high and intensity levels high. The Ukrainian has reasons to argue that he is as important as any Madrid player to reach the final, but he still has the possibility that he is as important as anyone to win it.
