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| Kiko Casilla |
Casilla, a player who progressed through Real Madrid's youth academy, has been brought back to the Bernabeu to cover the departure of Iker Casillas, who completed his move to Porto earlier this week.
The capture of Casilla also suggests Los Blancos are resigned to waiting until next summer to sign Manchester United's David De Gea—the outstanding gloveman long linked with Real Madrid but one over whom United are playing hardball.
Thus, Casilla will provide competition to Keylor Navas and Fernando Pacheco under Rafa Benitez in 2015-16, and across the following slides, we examine his strengths and weaknesses.
Strength: Aerial Ability
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| Kiko Casilla - Good in the air |
Stature-wise, he's more like Manuel Neuer than the man he's replacing, Casillas.
Naturally, such size gives the 28-year-old a big presence in the penalty area, and he's often seen soaring above congestion to claim and punch high balls with plenty of conviction—something that hasn't been seen at the Bernabeu for some time.
According to Squawka, Casilla completed more successful claims than any other goalkeeper in La Liga last season, a statistic that reinforces his strength in the air.
Weakness: Susceptibility to Major Errors
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| Kiko Casilla - Made some making major errors |
Due to his size and aerial skills, the Spaniard can be guilty of gambling when coming off his line to meet opposition players.
Such a trait was seen against Elche last season, when his mistimed charge at Jonathas allowed the Brazilian to head into a completely vacant net. He was also red-carded for a similar act against Sevilla, when he rushed out of his penalty area to close down a fast break but handled the ball several metres outside the box.
It's that inclination to gamble a little that also led to his gift to Real Sociedad's Sergio Canales when attempting a cute pass—an error that resulted in a 1-0 loss.
Strength: Reflexes and Reach
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| Kiko Casilla - Has good reflexes |
Naturally, the fact he played in a struggling side contributed to that statistic, but still his shot-stopping ability is undeniable.
Possessing good reflexes and aided by the long reach his height gives him, the Spaniard is capable of pulling off acrobatic stops and can get to shots that shorter 'keepers simply can't reach. Want an example? This is a good one.
For a big man, he's also able to get down quickly and spread himself effectively in front of onrushing forwards.
Weakness: Distribution
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| Kiko Casilla - Not quite good in ball distribution |
Particularly in teams that like to control a contest by maintaining possession, the ability of a goalkeeper to find his team-mates with kicks and throws is important in protecting fluency and guarding against opportunistic attacks.
For Casilla, such a skill isn't one of his strengths. Though strong and powerful, the 28-year-old doesn't possess finesse and ball control, and in La Liga last season his distribution accuracy was just 49 percent—a figure that ranked 37th among 43 goalkeepers in that category, per Squawka.
Strength: Durability
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| Kiko Casilla - Has good durability |
For Real Madrid, that's important. With Keylor Navas entering the season with an Achilles problem, the sort of injury that can persist for a long period, Los Blancos need their secondary option to be durable and injury free.
Positively, Casilla is both of those things, and despite using a physical style that sees the 'keeper throwing himself into aerial contests, his injury record is almost nonexistent.
source: bleacherreport.com
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