Real Madrids goalkeeping debate: Kepa, Lunin and why there is no question for coaches

When Real Madrid take to the pitch for their Champions League match against Napoli tonight, they will do so with Andriy Lunin starting in goal. Much to the Ukrainian’s frustration, his days as Madrid’s No 1 are numbered.

With Thibaut Courtois out for a lengthy period after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and his loan replacement, Kepa Arrizabalaga, nursing a thigh injury, Lunin has been flying. But Arrizabalaga, who is on loan from Chelsea without an option to buy, is targeting a return against Granada on Saturday.

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Without them, Lunin has been in fine form, keeping clean sheets in two of the three games Arrizabalaga has missed (against Braga and Cadiz), saving a penalty against Braga and only conceding a late goal to Valencia in La Liga this month.

That has opened a debate as to who of Lunin and Arrizabalaga should fill the void left by Courtois — but there is no question for head coach Carlo Ancelotti and his staff.

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“Against Granada, if (Arrizabalaga) is well, he will play,” Ancelotti said after Madrid’s 3-0 win against Cadiz on Sunday.

Lunin made four saves at Cadiz’s Nuevo Mirandilla stadium, including a spectacular fingertip stop to keep out a Roger Marti effort and another to deny Brian Ocampo in stoppage time. He transmitted total security and showed the kind of confidence he has lacked on the rare occasions he has been called upon since signing from Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk in 2018.

“When you play, you get into a rhythm and regain confidence,” Lunin told Real Madrid TV. “It’s normal.”

Lunin’s hard work and professionalism have always been praised at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground, even when he has not performed well in matches. Sources — who, like the others cited in this article, are unnamed as they did not have permission to comment — say he regularly trains on days off.

Although Lunin’s limited game time provides a smaller sample size, his numbers this season compare favourably to Arrizabalaga’s. Lunin has played five games, with five wins, two goals conceded and three clean sheets (a clean sheet percentage of 60). Arrizabalaga has played 13 games, with 10 wins, two draws and a defeat, 10 goals conceded and six clean sheets (46.2 per cent).

Lunin also looks increasingly comfortable with the ball at his feet, with a 97.4 per cent passing accuracy compared to Arrizabalaga’s 82.9 per cent. Madrid’s coaching staff insist on goalkeepers being a key part of their build-up play.

How Kepa and Lunin compare this season

Madrid are happy with both the goalkeepers’ statistics and the team’s defensive efforts. They have kept clean sheets in 50 per cent of their matches this season, only conceding 12 goals in 18 games (an average of 0.66 per game). They boast the best defence in La Liga, having let in nine goals in 14 games — the next best is Atletico Madrid’s with 12 in 13.

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Only one of the two can play regularly, something Ancelotti himself made clear in August. “We are not going to have rotations in goal,” he said. “Both goalkeepers are very good, but one will get more minutes than the other.”

The goalkeeper who would get more game time was, and still is, Arrizabalaga. The 29-year-old was Ancelotti and goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis’ great hope when he arrived in August. In their reports to the board, Ancelotti’s staff had long highlighted Lunin’s shortcomings as Madrid’s second-choice option, especially after the Club World Cup in February when the Ukrainian deputised for the injured Courtois.

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At the same time, Lunin admitted to those closest to him that he needed to progress and had not reached his best level in the Spanish capital. He has continued working towards that and this season has shown his best form yet.

“He has been ready when Kepa was injured, he has done very well,” Ancelotti said after the Cadiz win.

This summer, Madrid considered signing Getafe goalkeeper David Soria as a strong backup for Courtois, but the Spaniard was never close to joining. The club did not want to invest in that position and Lunin, who is under contract until 2024, did not want to leave. Whenever there was an option to move, Lunin’s father (who is also his agent) was highly demanding with the level his son should play at — which left him with few possible destinations.

The Ukrainian has always been backed by Madrid’s influential chief scout Juni Calafat, who helped bring him to the club five years ago for around €8.5million ($9.3m; £7.4m at current exchange rates) with a further fee of around €4m in variables. But that has not stopped him from going out on loan three times to Leganes, Real Valladolid and Real Oviedo. He only made his debut for Madrid in January 2021 and has made a further 21 appearances for them since.

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Arrizabalaga’s arrival did no favours for Lunin. The Chelsea goalkeeper had been hours from getting on a plane to Germany to join Bayern Munich on loan, but he was convinced by talks with coaching staff, who told him he would start for Madrid. Lunin found out about these developments through the press.

It was the same story when Lunin played the first two games of the season against Athletic Bilbao and Almeria, only to hear Ancelotti say Arrizabalaga would play in the next game, against Celta Vigo. The manager implied a similar situation after the win against Cadiz a few days ago, deepening Lunin’s feelings of resignation.

Sources at Valdebebas say Lunin is performing “very well” and add that he has benefitted from stepping out of Courtois’ shadow, albeit temporarily. But it will not be enough for him to keep his place in the starting lineup, a situation Lunin and those close to him have become used to.

Two weeks ago, Lunin’s wife, Anastasia, gave a frank answer during an Instagram question-and-answer session. “If there is a club that will allow him to play, I think we will go,” she wrote. “If he’s going to play, we’re ready to move.”

Calafat would not be happy with that outcome, but it would be of no concern to the coaching staff. They prefer Madrid to negotiate with Chelsea next summer to keep Arrizabalaga. For now, the Spaniard is in the driving seat.

(Top photos: Getty Images)

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