Hard setback for Lunin

The Andriy Lunin’s soccer loneliness lasts almost a whole year. 346 days to be exact. The Coliseum opened as his opportunity to debut in the League with Real Madrid three and a half seasons after his signing, but that door was closed in just 48 hours when three different PCRs confirmed the false positive for COVID of Thibaut Courtois and that the Belgian can play in Getafe. Another setback for the Ukrainian substitute, who will have to console himself with the minor prize he already knew, the Copa del Rey. It will be next Wednesday in Alcoy, in the round of 32. The same round and the same rival, Alcoyano, of his only (and last) match as a Real Madrid player, on January 20, 2021. Lunin’s circular life.

COVID has not finally removed the hegemonic owner of the Madrid goalkeeper but it has given him a hard time, precisely, the young (22-year-old) Ukrainian goalkeeper. In October 2020 he suffered a false positive while with his team and since then he has had two more positives over the months, both confirmed, which forced him to isolate himself at home. That first false positive deprived him of being able to play in Cádiz since Courtois, little given to physical mishaps, had returned from the break with Belgium touched by the psoas. The coronavirus forced Zidane not to be able to reserve the holder and use the Ukrainian substitute to avoid taking risks. Not for those.

At least, from the perspective of Real Madrid, they are satisfied to have a goalkeeper in Lunin who is very cold-minded, extremely professional and does not complain. Ancelotti receives good feedback from Luis Llopis, the veteran coach in charge of the goalkeepers on the squad. “Lunin has not had minutes simply because in front of him is the best goalkeeper in the world”, was the explanation of the own Carletto in the preview of today’s game in Getafe. “It’s something that I understand, he understands and everyone understands …”. Ancelotti does not encourage false expectations of competition, but he does highlight his faith in the Slavic goalkeeper and he predicts it. “Andriy has a lot of quality, he is going to be successful in his career.”

Competitive oxide

Ancelotti comforts Lunin in public but the reality is that he has had a very irregular experience in his assignments (Leganés, Valladolid and Oviedo) and In the last year and a half, since he said goodbye in his last game with the Carbayones in July 2020, he has only been able to be under sticks in that game against Alcoyano. Debut in white with disastrous tints in the form of elimination. Zidane offered him the Madrid goal during the entire Cup and the candy only lasted 120 minutes, agonizing overtime included.

Getafe could have meant, today, a new chapter in Lunin’s career, but he will have to wait a little longer …