Who will be the goalkeeper of the Red Devils at the European Championship? After the explosion of the Courtois conflict, the battle is apparently open. Matz Sels already scored points against Ireland by saving a penalty. Will he make the dilemma for Tedesco even more difficult on Tuesday?
What was not a theme for years, now suddenly is again.
Who is actually the real number 1 of the Red Devils? Thibaut Courtois – you know that story by now – was in a class of his own. Among the successors, the value ratios are much more difficult to estimate.
Koen Casteels at Wolfsburg. Matz Sels at Nottingham Forest. Thomas Kaminski at Luton Town.
These are teams that most football followers do not see at work 3 times in a season. And certainly less viral-sensitive than Real Madrid. These factors create the impression that a goalkeeping vacuum has arisen in our national team.
Casteels’ physical ailments
However, the new pecking order was reportedly clear in Domenico Tedesco’s mind.
Koen Casteels, a silent strongman at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga for years, was always preferred – when he was fit – and never disappointed. First there was the victory in Germany, then 3 clean sheets in a row – albeit against weak opponents.
Only: Casteels has often struggled with physical ailments in recent months.
In the first match after the Courtois conflict in Estonia, the goalkeeper was missing due to an injury. Casteels also had to retire during the international break in October due to a stomach infection. And now he is sidelined again with a shoulder injury.
The goalkeeper, who previously missed the 2014 World Cup and European Championship 2020 due to unlucky injuries, must hope that fate spares him in the coming months.
Sels did not have to perform great miracles, but proved himself to be reliable and meticulous. Moreover, a penalty save lasts just a little longer.
Especially because behind him Matz Sels is increasingly applying for a promotion with the national team.
The Antwerp native was also one of the few bright spots in Ireland on Saturday evening. With a penalty save in minute 27, he kept the Red Devils on track at a tricky moment.
Furthermore, the goalkeeper did not have to perform any great miracles, but he did prove to be reliable and precise. Moreover, a stopped eleven meter lingers just a little longer.
In short: points scored.
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Sels excellent at Nottingham Forest
With the penalty save, Sels – who was brought on in minute 82 to give Thomas Kaminski his debut – maintained an additional application argument. In seven matches with the Red Devils, he has not lost a single time.
At his new club Nottingham Forest, Sels’s statistics are less impressive at first glance. Since leaving Strasbourg for the Premier League, the goalkeeper has conceded 11 goals in 7 matches and has only kept a clean sheet once.
Yet those numbers do not tell the full story.
Forest watchers say that Sels is making an excellent impression in England. Against Liverpool, among other things, our compatriot kept Forest straight with some impressive saves.
What if Sels also plays in Wembley and excels against England? Would Tedesco dare to question the pecking order heading into the European Championship?
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2024-03-23 18:53:09
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