Casillas and Madrid one year on: Who are the winners and losers?

Icon departed for Porto last July after 25 years with the club

A tearful Casillas bids Real Madrid farewell

It was the 13th of July 2015 when one of the longest-lasting and successful relationships in modern football came to an end as Iker Casillas left Real Madrid to join Porto.

It had been a relationship marked by highs in the 25 years the man from Mostoles had spent attached to the club; assuming his spot in the first team at the tender age of 18 due to injuries, he went on to claim an unlikely Champions League success that first year in a season that had been shambolic until Vicente Del Bosque took the helm.

He went on to play 725 games for Los Blancos, claiming three Champions League titles in all as well as five domestic leagues; for Spain he captained La Roja to an unprecedented treble, the 2010 World Cup being bookended by the European Championships of 2008 and 2012.

That latter success coming off the back of dethroning Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona domestically can, albeit with hindsight, be seen as marking the peak and the starting point of the goalkeeper’s slow descent.

The details are well known, and hardly merit rehashing here now; but essentially Casillas ceased to be indispensable, first at club level and, finally, this summer for the national team.

It’s a curious quirk that the man who saw fit to replace him at the latter turned out to be that very same Del Bosque who had shown such faith in his during that crisis period of the 1999/2000 season at Madrid.

And ultimately, despite some missteps following Spain’s second round exit at this summer’s Euros, they went their separate ways on good terms, with Del Bosque rowing back from his previous criticism of the great keeper’s reaction to being dropped during on interview on Radio Onda Cero last week.

Indeed, the pair were to be pictured together smiling to show that no ill feeling persisted.

So, who has benefited from that departure almost a year ago to the day? It could be argued that it’s been good for all concerned.

For Madrid, the Casillas question had become political; Jose Mourinho’s decision to keep him out of the side in his final season once his fitness had returned was one of politics, not football, and it was one that his successor Carlo Ancelotti would be left to wrestle with without every appearing to fully resolve.

Once Adrian Adan had proven below below the required level, Mourinho recruited the more able Diego Lopez from Sevilla and in Ancelotti’s first season he persevered with the Galician in the league with Casillas getting the nod in cup games.

In his final season, Casillas returned to favour as Lopez departed for Milan but by now the footballing reasons to look elsewhere had become apparent.

When the time came last summer for Casillas to depart the club engaged in an ultimately fruitless attempt to sign the man who succeeded him this summer with the national team, David De Gea, but found within their ranks his replacement in the figure of Keylor Navas.

Navas has risen to the challenge, showing that the instincts that marked him out as arguably the league’s standout goalkeeper at Levante hadn’t been blunted by a season as back-up for Casillas.

As for Casillas himself, there have been ups and downs but he’s established himself as a popular figure at Porto.

There have been mistakes, chiefly when he misjudged a Willian free-kick during a victory against nemesis Mourinho’s Chelsea in September and during a defeat to Vitoria de Guimaraes in January, but his performance as his side claimed a first away win at Benfica in four years the following month is one that will live long in the memories of supporters.

Aside from being a big name arriving at a club where the big names are routinely movingly out, the Spaniard’s professionalism and dedication has made him a welcome addition in the dressing room. 

For Casillas, no longer being at the centre of a political storm has allowed to once again focus on the football.

Back at Madrid, whatever the club decides to do going forward between the sticks, it will no longer be picked apart by the sort of factionalism that overshadowed everything to do with Casillas during his final two and a half years at the club

O Clássico – Battle of the big guns

My preview of the Portuguese title decider for Back Page Football

It couldn’t have been scripted better. All season long in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, Benfica and Porto have been clear at the top. Neither side have been beaten, and neither have let up, leaving surprise package Paços de Ferreira trailing in their wake. Now in the penultimate round of games, they go head to head.

When the Lisbon side took on sixth place Estoril on Monday night knowing a win would restore their 4 point lead over their northern rivals, they finally blinked.

In the end, they couldn’t overturn Jefferson’s opener. 1-1 it finished. giving fresh life to the battle at the top. On Saturday night, they travel to the dragon’s den for a clássico that will define the domestic season. Win and Benfica will be crowned champions; lose and they’ll surrender control of their destiny.

The stakes could not be higher for Jorge Jésus’s side. On Wednesday, they’ll take on Chelsea in the Europa League final. Ten days later, they’ll duke it out with Guimarães in the final of the Portuguese Cup. Navigate the coming fortnight, and they’ll emulate André Villas-Boas’ treble winning campaign of 2011. But after a hard-fought campaign, they could end up with nothing.

All or nothing. Jésus has endured his ups and downs in his four years at the helm. For better or worse, he’s been defined by his stunning first season, when a free-wheeling, attacking Benfica side ran riot to claim their first league crown in five seasons.

The problem is that they’ve never quite scaled the same heights. A year later, they had to endure the triple coronation of Porto. They even missed the boat on an all-Portuguese Europa League final in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, falling to SC Braga in the semi-finals.

That first season left him with enough credit in the bank to continue, and they excelled for three quarters of last season. Having dumped Manchester United out in the group stages, they gave Chelsea an almighty scare before bowing out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But then fatigue caught up, leaving Porto to steal a march on the home stretch.

His opposite number, Vítor Pereira, is also no stranger to the vagaries of fate. Number two to Villas-Boas, his elevation owed more to circumstance than design. The timing of Villas-Boas departure caught the club hierarchy by surprise. Domingos Paciência would been their first choice but after quitting Braga, he’d already taken charge at Sporting.

The president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa opted for continuity. But Pereira endured a testing start to the campaign. Despite holding on to all but Radamel Falcao from the treble side, they flopped in the Champions League. With Domingos Paciência available again, Pinto da Costa’s patience was wearing thin.

Their subsequent title defence sparked a change of heart.

Both sides entered the season depleted following the summer transfer market. For Porto, that meant losing Hulk, the driving force behind recent successes. This is a fact of life in Portuguese football, and one against which Porto have repeatedly proven adept at insuring themselves.

His replacement was already waiting there, in the wings. The Colombian James Rodríguez had steadily assumed greater responsibility in the side last term. This season he’s not been found wanting in the Brazilian’s absence, chipping in with 10 league goals.

Matters proved tougher for Benfica. Having already lost Javi García to Manchester City, Zenit St Petersburg came in with an 11^th hour bid to meet Axel Witsel’s buyout clause. With the Portuguese transfer window already shut, they were in no position to reinforce.

But Jésus has adapted. Without those two guarding the defence, the task has fallen to Nemanja Matic and Enzo Pérez; the latter of whom is expected to return from injury this weekend. The step-up proved too great in the Champions League, where they finished behind Barcelona and Celtic in their group.

But domestically, having played with a solitary striker in recent times, we’ve seen a return to a more attacking style by necessity. Oscar Cardozo, the beanpole Paraguayan, had continued to bang in the goals. Alongside him, the Brazilian Lima has been in scintillating form in their 4-4-2.

Porto’s template remains 4-3-3. With James injured in their previous encounter in January, a thrilling 2-2 draw, Pereira opted to play Steven Defour in a spoiling role on the right.

The Belgian has failed to nail down a consistent starting place, so expect to see a midfield three here with Fernando at the base. Lucho González will pull the strings alongside a standout performer from last summer’s European Championships, João Moutinho.

Alex Sandro has been passed fit at left back and his work down the left flank with Silvestre Varela ensures a busy evening for Benfica’s right-back Lorenzo Malgarejo. Nicolás Gaitán, Benfica’s main creative outlet, has to keep his defensive discipline to assist on that side of the park.

At the tip of the Porto attack, the Colombia international Jackson Martínez has been in exceptional form, finding the net on 33 occasions in all competitions – including one in these sides’ last meeting  at Benfica’s Estádio da Luz.

The clash will define both sides’ seasons, and most likely the future both coaches. Vítor Pereira – linked yesterday with a move to Everton – has nothing else to play for. Equally, he knows his chances of staying in his post hinges on the outcome here. Having played 47 games this season to Benfica’s 56, their freshness – and home advantage – offers them the edge.

Jorge Jésus, for his part has everything to lose. But he refused to dwell on talk of ‘dark clouds’ following Monday night’s draw. Speaking on Thursday, he was clear where his focus lies:

Outside of Portugal, it’s true that winning the Europa League is more recognised; but our priority has been the league title from day one.

If they go all the way to claim a treble to match Porto’s two years ago, no doubt he’ll be hailed as a messiah. But should they bomb, he knows he can expect to be crucified by the Benfiquistas.

Kick-off: Saturday 20:30 GMT

Probable Teams

Porto: Hélton; Danilo, Mangala, Otamendi, Alex Sandro; Lucho González, Fernando, Moutinho: James Rodríguez, Jackson Martínez; Varela

Benfica: Artur; Pereira, Jardel, Garay, Malgarejo; Sálvio, Matic, Pérez, Gaitán; Lima, Cardozo

Referee: Pedro Proença. Will be in the spotlight here. In last season’s run-in, he over-ruled his linesman to allow Maicon’s winner for Porto to stand when these sides met with the title in play. Subsequent replays showed the assistant had been correct.