Iker Casillas will make his last stand for Real Madrid.

According to reports, the Spanish netminder will be the Number One keeper for Los Blancos in 2014-15, and new acquisition Keylor Navas will serve as his backup. Navas will get to compete in the Copa del Rey, and Casillas gets the Champions League and Spanish League.

This essentially ends the massive melodrama that has been taking place between in the Spanish nets since 2013, when Casillas was relegated to being Diego Lopez’s backup under Jose Mourinho. When Carlo Ancelotti came on in the summer of 2013, many expected him to reinstate Casillas as the top dog on the team. But alas, it was not meant to be. Casillas remained on the bench in the Spanish League, and Lopez manned the nets in the Spanish League.

Casillas got starts in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, but it did little to restore his confidence. This much was clear during the Champions League final and disastrous World Cup games for Spain. Casillas and Lopez apparently were not close friends, either, despite attempts at professionalism. In one moment captured on television and spread across the Internet, Casillas actually ignored Lopez while saluting the rest of his teammates. As late as last week, Lopez reportedly told Madrid executives that he was better than Casillas and deserved to stay.

But now, there is no drama. The captain will not have to sit on the bench and attract the attention of the world over. Now the job is his again, and he will have a chance to prove that he deserves Ancelotti’s trust, or is simply finished.

And that is where the genius of this decision lies for Ancelotti.

Casillas will enter the season with a lot less pressure than he has faced since winning the Euro 2012 for Spain. Since then, he has had to enduring a tremendous amount of questioning about his form and attitude. As the number one, he has gained the confidence of his club and coach and will be given the reigns to lead his club again. More importantly, there can be no more questioning about the lack of playing time affecting his form.

Mourinho was a very polarizing figure and many felt that his benching of Casillas was due to a dispute between the two men and had nothing to do with his form. When Ancelotti gave Lopez the top spot at the club at the start of 2013-14, many claimed that any poor play from Casillas was due to his lack of game time.

But that will no longer be the case. Casillas will get consistent time in net in two competitions. Any poor play will not be the result of lacking game time. It will simply reinforce any notions that Casillas is past his prime and no longer a viable number one goalie.

It is risky, to be sure. If Ancelotti gives Casillas a long leash and his captain implodes in the opening months, then it is possible that Los Blancos could fall behind in the standings. The team has essentially lost the last two campaigns because of mediocre starts, though last year’s loss was the result of a poor finish. Fortunately for Casillas, he has not been the cause of either meltdown. In 2012-13, Casillas conceded 14 goals in his first 16 games before being left out of the starting lineup against Malaga. He had conceded two goals in each of the previous two matches, but was hardly the problem. Last season, Casillas did not start a game in the Spanish League until it was effectively over.

Bringing in Navas to fix things is a huge positive, since he is undeniably one of the best goalies in the world. But there are certainly concerns over whether he will be able to step right in with minimal play. If things go according to plan (meaning no poor form or injury to Casillas), Navas would not be playing until December. That is a lot of time to be riding the bench.

There are other major positives, however. The Champions League title is not at huge risk, even with Casillas giving average goalkeeping. Real Madrid has never failed to make it out of the group stage with Casillas in goal, so the chances of him ruining the team’s Champions League campaign are minimal at best.

And this brings to mind another essential component of the last two years for Casillas. With him in goal, Real Madrid won two trophies. With Lopez in goal, the team won none. That is not completely Lopez’s fault, but at least Casillas has that going for him.

Is this the best decision? Most would argue that Navas is the top goalie in the organization and should be the one to start. That certainly makes a ton of sense, but it would do little to quell the division within the organization and its fans. The decision by Ancelotti carries risks (more risks than picking Navas as the main man), but it calms the melodrama and gives the club’s legend a chance to end his run on his own terms.

Do you agree with Ancelotti’s decision to pick Casillas as Madrid’s main keeper in 2014-15? Let us know in the comments section below.

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