MADRID. Forget Neymar or Gareth Bale, the biggest story in Spanish football so far this season is arguably one that has rumbled on from the last campaign.When Jose Mourinho started picking Diego Lopez in goal last season ahead of legendary captain Iker Casillas it was presumed that a personality clash was the principal reason.Casillas, after all, is a six-time member of the UEFA team of the year; a man who has won five Liga titles, two European Championships and the World Cup. He was, and still is, considered by many to be the best goalkeeper in the world.Diego Lopez on the other hand was struggling to hold down a regular place with Sevilla the season before joining Real and was brought in very much as a back-up.When Carlo Ancelotti was brought in to replace Mourinho it was thought that normal service would be resumed and Casillas would be back between the sticks but the Italian coach dropped an early bombshell by picking Lopez for the opening day clash against Real Betis.Such has been the furore after that selection that Casillas has even been linked with a shock move to Real’s hated rivals Barcelona.Is there any method behind Mourinho and Ancelotti’s apparent madness? Well yes, it could be argued, if you look at the stats.Casillas had eight clean sheets for Real in La Liga last season while Lopez had only two but Lopez made far more saves.Lopez’s save percentage was 73.33 to just 64.58 for Casillas. He also made more catches than Casillas (29 to 18) and dropped fewer (one to three).Of course the counter argument to all this is that Casillas’s qualities as a leader, organiser and sweeper at the back was one of the reasons why he had to make fewer saves.However, the stats certainly show that Lopez has made a case to be Real Madrid number one even if his CV is not as impressive.
