At times, football is a cruel game. It is not a game that rewards sentimentality. Saturday night’s Champions League final was proof of just that. Diego Costa, who was injured in the game against Barcelona last week started against Real Madrid carrying an injury, which many thought will rule him out of the game. Diego Simeone went on sentiment, started him, but his move backfired and was substituted less than 10 minutes into the game.
Although his substitute Adrian played well, Costa ended up costing his side the game as his substitution early in the piece meant that Simeone only had two substitutions left. And towards the end of the game, Juanfran looked completely shot, but played on, because all three substitutions were made and in the end all three of Real Madrid’s goals in extra time came down the right flank, which Juanfran occupied.
Sentiment or cold-hard facts, that is precisely the question that Mourinho needs to answer as he ponders about whether to bring back their on-loan goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois or not. On the face of it, Mourinho doesn’t really have a decision to make at all. The fact that Courtois has won a League title, the Europa League and played in the Champions League final at the age of just 22 means that he has all the necessary experience to take over the No.1 spot at Chelsea. On the other hand, Petr Cech, who is 32, and has been a loyal servant to the club for the past decade has been gradually declining and a fragility that wasn’t there before has now crept into the Czech goalkeeper’s game.
If it was a purely footballing decision, then this would be a no-brainer. Courtois, 10 years Cech’s junior has already established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Goalkeepers generally tend to reach their prime later than outfield players, so to have someone who is already World class at such a young age is certainly a luxury that Chelsea shouldn’t ignore. While it is true that Cech is only 32, concerns over his form mean that he might only be able to offer a few more years as Number one, while the Belgian is set to make the No.1 spot his own for the decade and more.
So, what other reason could there be for not calling back Courtois and keeping Cech? First and foremost, Mourinho likes his loyal lieutenants on the field and in Cech, Terry and Lampard he only has three from his last time at the club. But with the future of the latter two in question due to their advanced years, Cech may well be one of the few leaders left in the squad.
Another reason might be the fact that he hasn’t played in the Premier League. The last keeper to come from Spain was another promising prospect, David De Gea. But as talented as the Spaniard was, he took a year to settle into the English game and whilst United gave him the time, Mourinho might not do the same for Courtois.
With respect to the leadership qualities, while it is true that Courtois isn’t yet a bonafide leader, the way he marshals his back four at Atletico coupled with his natural-born talent means that if given a chance he will prove to be a better bet than Cech. And having played in two European finals in the last three years, Courtois is already used to the pressure that comes with it and his transition to the Premier League will be a lot smoother than De Gea’s.
Another reason why Chelsea should bring back Courtois as soon as possible is because of the demands of the Premier League. The physical nature of the League mean that the style of play requires goalkeepers to acclimatize quickly. As good as Courtois might be, he isn’t infallible and is yet to reach his prime, which means that he is still in his learning curve. So now is the perfect time to bring him into a new league and let him adapt. For, the longer a goalkeeper plays outside of the Premier League, the harder it becomes for him to adjust to it.
In a perfect world, Courtois will move to Chelsea, enhance his game even further and be associated with the next era of success at Chelsea, much like how Cech was associated with the previous one. Having already made one mistake by letting Romelu Lukaku go out on loan, when he had a lack of quality strikers, Chelsea fans must be hoping that Mourinho doesn’t make another one by not bringing back Courtois. Will he come back? Maybe. Should be come back? Absolutely.