The injuries are always inconvenient, but some seem especially so. An example is that of Thibaut Courtois (27 years old), of whom Real Madrid announced yesterday that he will be in the infirmary due to an accident “muscle in the long left adductor”. The setback leaves Zidane without her guardian to about two weeks which includes this Friday’s games against Eibar (9:00 p.m.) and next Tuesday against Manchester City (21:00 hours), and forces Alphonse Areola to rescue from his background (647 minutes) (27 years).
The situation perfectly sums up the paradoxical life of the substitute goalkeeper, who from one day to another, and almost always due to the injury of the holder, receives the prominence and attention that they do not usually accompany. The opportunity can become condemned by the requirement for an Areola that was transferred at the end of last summer and now has to assume the role of savior how well Courtois was playing.
The Belgian, after the turbulence of his first white season, has been stabalized in the goal in this second. In a smaller Madrid, he has received 26 goals in 32 games, that is, an average of 0.81, and has left the goal at zero 15 times, that is, in 46.87% of his appearances. Meanwhile, despite entering Madrid with a good footing, Areola has sown some doubts for several blots. For example, in the afternoon before Granada (4-2) his overconfidence with the ball led him to commit a penalty that put the Andalusians in the game. More recently, a double mistake of his facilitated the 0-1, of Odegaard, with which the Real society He began digging the white grave in the Copa del Rey.
Areola's turn
Although when you are really going to see what it is made of it is now, in the service sheet of Areola at the moment appear 9 goals received in 8 games (1.12 on average) and 3 doors to zero (37.5%). Its percentage of stops is a discrete 59.09%, far from 72.92% of Courtois. With the French international, Madrid have drawn (2-2, although he left after the break, with 0-2 down) and won the Bruges (1-3) in the Champions League; defeated Osasuna (2-0), Granada (4-2) and Alavés (1-2) in the League; and won Unionists (1-3) and Zaragoza (0-4) in the Copa, where he fell (3-4) with Real.
In Madrid they value Areola's work very positively in his role as second goalkeeper, giving everything in training and facilitating the good atmosphere with your attitude. An image portrays its great adaptation, that of his career towards Courtois, his 'rival' for the position, to celebrate the victory in the Spanish Super Cup in the round with Atlético de Madrid. His goal now is for hugs to be for him.