He should start against Villarreal - Casillas back in the hot seat

Posted Saturday, September 27, 2014 by Marca.com

Iker Casillas will take up his place between the posts in the next match against Villarreal. At least that's what Carlo Ancelotti told him after making him sit out the game against Elche.

The Spanish international keeper wins his place back in La Liga and, very possibly, will also be the first choice for the Champions League against Ludogorets.

Ancelotti's decision would seem to indicate that picking Keylor Navas for the Elche match was a way of rewarding the Costa Rican in readiness for the inevitable changing of the guard, which the coaching staff must undoubtedly prepare themselves for and put into effect sooner or later.

At the start of the season, the Italian coach picked Casillas to be his regular keeper in both La Liga and the Champions League, but his erratic performances and the whistles of the fans have forced him to reconsider. Although Carletto is adamant that the negative reaction of the Bernabéu is nothing to worry about, the simple fact is that he has no choice but to take it into account.

As a direct result, Ancelotti opted to give Keylor Navas his first chance in front of a home crowd and not in an away match. In doing so, the manager decided to switch keepers in the Bernabéu to help alleviate the corrosive atmosphere that was all too apparent in the matches against Atlético and Basel. And it seems to have paid off, given the fact that hardly a whistle was heard in the Bernabéu during the match against Elche.