Iker Casillas' season with Real Madrid has gotten off to a rough start. However, reports indicate that the goal may have some good fortune on the horizon.
Through the first three matches this season, Diego Lopez has gotten the call for Los Blancos while the Spanish national team captain has had to sit on the bench. Many have speculated that Casillas' time with Madrid might be at an end, but recent reports indicate that coach Carlo Ancelotti plans to give Casillas time in the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
According to Marca, "The Italian coach [Ancelotti] has decided that the international goalkeeper will play between the sticks in the European competition and the Copa del Rey, while Diego López will continue to start in La Liga. Providing he doesn't have a change of heart, Ancelotti will stick to this surprising alternation at least until the Christmas break."
If this turns out to be the case then Lopez should get about 14 more matches in before the January break; Casillas meanwhile will get a guarantee of six matches from now until Sunday. Whether or not the move is made to give the Spanish captain some rest in preparation for the big games in the Champions League or simply a diplomatic move to keep the locker room quiet is yet to be seen.
If the rumors turn out to be true, then speculation over a move elsewhere could cool down. Casillas has been heavily rumored as a transfer target for teams seeking a goaltender. Among those squads is Arsenal and Barcelona. However, Barcelona has already been ruled out as a potential suitor for the netminder.
"Casillas will not sign because he is an icon of Real Madrid and I could not see him with the club badge on his chest, the same way I wouldn't like to see Xavi in a Real jersey," said Barcelona President Sandro Rosell according to Goal.com.
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