How Should Chelsea Handle Thibaut Courtois?
by Graham MacAree on Jan 11, 2012 5:38 PM GMT
in Chelsea FC: Players
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When Chelsea nabbed Thibaut Courtois from RC Genk in the Juliper League, few really knew what to expect from the Belgian teenager. He'd proclaimed himself heir apparent to Petr Cech's throne, but we'd heard that before, and nobody was even very sure if he'd be a first-choice starter at Atletico Madrid, where he was sent on loan (replacing Manchester United-bound David de Gea).
Since, Courtois has done very little but impress. He's cemented his place as the team's number one and had a long string of good performances in a tough league with very little help from his more or less incompetent defenders. We're at the point where we can seriously start thinking about him coming into the Chelsea first team a few years down the line, and considering Cech's recent issues an up-and-coming star would be very useful to have.
But there's still some development to be done, and it's unclear as to the best path to take with Courtois. De Gea's having difficulty with the La Liga/Premier League switch, and I wouldn't want to drop our baby ace straight into the fire like Sir Alex has done his. For his part, Courtois seems to think another year at the Vicente Calderon is a good idea:
A second year [at Atletico] would be fine. That is a decision that depends on Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and me. There is time to decide because we are in January but I like Madrid, it is a very good club and if I can stay a second year here that would be great.
Source: Eurosport.
Another 18 months in Spain, then a loan deal at a mid-table Premier League side that could use a goalkeeper? That sounds about right to me. Cech can probably hold things together through the end of the 2013/14 season and by then Courtois should be ready to give him some serious competition for the #1 shirt. As good as Courtois has been, it seems unlikely that he'll be prepared for a high-pressure role with a top-tier team before then. What does everyone else think?
No matter what, this is quite a nice problem to have!
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This guy is cocky.
He is perfect to be our next GK
When can i get my Dwight Howard Brooklyn Nets Jersey?
by AmbassadorAmeer on Jan 11, 2012 5:40 PM GMT reply actions
The only problem I can see at the moment is that all the teams he has played for have had dodgy defences.
So he is used to being constantly active. Players like cech and van der sar were/have been so great because they would not do anything for 90 minutes then make a save when it really mattered. Does he need to go elsewhere for that sort of training; concentration, mental strength, because that’s what we need.
(Granted at the moment our defence is dodgy as well, but when the time comes for him to take the no.1 shirt i like to think we’d have sorted out our defensive problems)
Ignoring that though, i’d say one more season at madrid, then come back to chelsea to challenge for the no.1 place. Start him in cup games, if he really impresses give cech a couple of rests then who knows. I love how arrogant he is. I guess you need to be when you’ve lead a team to a title at 18, and played in the cl for madrid at 19.
I missed your mid table pl team first time round, i think that would be perfect.
next season: stay at madrid
season after: a team with a decent defence in the premier league that aren’t challenging the top tier clubs.
season after: lead chelsea to european and domestic treble.
Watched him vs Malaga
And he had almost nothing to do untill a freekick just outside of the area and made an insane reflex save. Concentration: check. His last game at Genk they had to win the game to win the championship and he had to make numerous key saves. It was an extremely important match and he delivered. He literally won the championship for Genk. Mental strength: check.
So basically we can throw away your idea right out of the window.
I’ve watched him alot of times this season and the lad is going to be some player. I’ve talked to alot of Atletico Madrid fans and they all say we are extremely lucky to have him. He has done so well that they haven’t missed De Gea at all. Mind you, he is alot more consistent than De Gea and has a much better arial ability. He is a king in the air and during set pieces.
We got our hands on a future world class keeper. I can’t wait to see the lad challanging Cech for a starting place.
And arrogant? Cocky? He is very confidend and determined, nothing to do with arrogance.
How is he arrogant?
Can you give some examples / elaborate on this part? Due to my own inability to master the Spanish language and the nature of the Spanish language that – unlike Italian – is impossible to understand by the knowledge of Latin – I don’t read much on Courtois besides the loan reports by WAGNH so that would be certainly interesting for me
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
I was only referring to the stuff he said about cech supposedly being past it, and how he speaks so well for his age.
Arrogance was maybe the wrong word, but you know, a goalkeeper of his age is never normally so confident!
didn’t mean to be mean about him, i meant it as a good thing.
What was that old saying? Only two players on the pitch need to be confident:
The keeper and the striker.
Thibaut Courtois has world class technique. Already!
I was watching Courtois last season hoping we would sign him and now this season too, he is 6ft6 and has an amazing style where he crouches low before he is about to make a save and then leaps amazingly well for a tall keeper, he is also very commanding of his area and is willing to come out and collect crosses.
As for his mental strength, he certainly doesn’t make too many blunders, if any. Mental strength is also something which typically is built on in young keepers. I don’t see any problems there.
Also Courtois could offer Cech competition and force him to up his game in two seasons after he is potentially loaned out to Athletico again.
It was a terrific buy buy us.
I dont think a loan to another premier league club would be necessary
after two years at madrid. if anything, i would loan him within the premier league next season (2012-13), if he continues this impressive form of course
Torres #falsenine
Sorry starting off on torres on a courtois post. But watching recent(last 2) matches, i felt what if avb is actually using him as a false 9. he is not as good as messi, but with the finishing skills of studge, rami, mata (and him also) this may actually work out well.
I didn't watch the Wolves game
But Torres was not a false nine against Portsmouth. False nines drop back, whereas Torres mostly moved side to side and was only really deep when the ball was in Chelsea’s half.
by Graham MacAree on Jan 11, 2012 6:15 PM GMT up reply actions
I think another season at Atletico could be good
Maybe, if we make sure there is some means of recalling him in a bind, if possible, or doing the loan in 6 month increments…
I think some more developmental time in a top league is a good plan. I feel a bit for De Gea because Sir Alex does to goalkeepers what Abromovich does for managers. It was less that he was too young, and more that he needed eased into the ManU lineup. Considering the work rate he was put through, it’s no wonder he let some sloppy goals through. The defense there has also been makeshift, so I don’t know how Fergie expected him to keep up. De Gea is also tall and skinny… makes it difficult to make those low stops when a player just nutmegs you. His comfort on the pitch is probably shot at the moment, given his recent performance and then getting immediately hooked for the backup keeper. Who then, also had goals fly by him.
Anyhow… rant on that done… I just hope Chelsea is more aware of keeper development and give Courtois a little more time to play consistently up top, and then eventually, in a couple of years maybe, they can start having him ease onto the Chelsea team by trading games with Cech (provided we have that luxury).
He's in a good spot as a member of the red-headed step child of Madrid..
…And if they finish well this season — he’ll either have Champions League or Europa League to play in next term which I think would be fantastic either way you cut it for his development.,
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Staff writer for Managing Madrid & Sounder At Heart
by Timm Higgins on Jan 11, 2012 7:50 PM GMT up reply actions
If he keeps impressing this spring in Madrid,
I’d consider a loan to a premier league team next term. This would give him better experience and allow us to face a 2nd choice keeper at least two more times a year :D (since loanees can’t start against their parent clubs).
Cech's Form
This all depends on Cech’s form. If Cech doesn’t get better this year that he was in 2011 then I say Courtois should be in England next year playing for a relegation battle bound squad like Joe Hart did at Birmingham. Honestly, I wouldn’t even let him sign there for a whole year just in case Cech’s recent form doesn’t improve. Also, with Cech’s injury woes it’d be nice to know we could get Courtois in January 2013. However, ideally Courtois would just be re-signed to the same club for the first half of 2013 too. This is a better option than loaning him out for an entire season because a) if Cech is injured or his form drops then we only need Turnbull until January, b) because if Courtois somehow loses out as the #1 keeper at a club (which I don’t think he will/should) then we could loan him elsewhere so he gets playing time and c) he adjusts to the EPL before needing to be Chelsea’s #1. The only downside to this split loan option is if a team won’t take him (or start him as their #1) in the fall because the don’t know if he’ll be there all year. However, they should know that it would be unlikely that Cech won’t be our #1 keeper all of next year and they might even get him for two years if Cech doesn’t age quickly (2013-2014 season).
Summary: Loan to a EPL team for 1st half of 2012-2013 season. If Cech is still healthy and playing as well as he can then we keep Courtois on loan for 2nd half of 2012-2013 season.
Just curious...
…is it pronounced “Tebow?” :)
I'd like to see him get as much playing time as possible.
That means keeping him on loan. I say let him stay at Madrid whilst they keep playing him. At the end of the day a second choice goalkeeper gets no games and you want to play the same goal keeper for most of your league games.
I think as long as Cech is the better option he should be on loan. 6 month loan deals are definitely preferable as it gives us more flexibility. I’d say premier league experience would be a bonus rather than a necessity though.
I say give him a year and a half on loan bring him back in the summer and if he’s better than Cech keep him. If not let him out again for longer. The luxury we have is that even if he doesn’t start playing for us until he’s 25 he’ll still have ten years left to play for us so we can give him that time.
If we bring him back in a year and a half and Cech is still better he’ll barely play and wont develop. We need to keep him sharp until he’s better than Cech.
I agree with Kman
If Cech’s form continues maybe we should to drop him in the PL atleast at a midtable team sooner rather than later. I understand he is having a standout season in La Liga, but we need him getting accustomed to the ways of the PL. And couldn’t agree more McAree, this is a pretty damn good problem to have!
ALWAYSBLUE
2 years at Spain and then definitely one year at the PL
Don’t want him to end up like De Gae.
by el chelsea fuerte on Jan 11, 2012 7:48 PM GMT reply actions
The Gay hasn't been that bad. His main weaknesses are catching crosses, and the DL syndrome.
As in, David Luiz. His every mistake is analyzed extensively by the media, same as Luiz. That’s why the public think he;s an error-prone flop, when actually he doesnt make that many more mistakes (if any) than Cech for example.
Agreed!
It would be silly to think that a keeper is not prone to making the occasional mistake… especially when having to make more saves than any other keeper in the PL.
Right, whereas with lesser known, but good keepers...
….like Sorenson, Stockdale, the Newcastle guy, you only see their highlights.
I'm pretty sure it would have helped De Gae is he was exposed to the PL before
Which was my point. I can’t see Cech stepping down in a year and a half and so if we do have the opportunity to loan Courtois for a third season it should be to the PL. After all that is where he will be playing, not La Liga.
by el chelsea fuerte on Jan 12, 2012 1:53 AM GMT up reply actions
Maybe also because De Gea actually allowed
one certain Chelsea striker to round him, make him look amateurish and nearly allowing the same striker to score, just it didn’t went in not for De Gea’s own efforts, but because of someone else’s failure. And since this certain Chelsea striker is a much hated figure to the United faithful and many, if not most media outlets are heavily United biased and how much attention this certain situation received, it might seem some crowd still haven’t forgotten this
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
I agree with your point
I say keep him at Madrid for another season-I mean,Cech is still only 29,very young in goalkeeper terms. He can handle being our GK for another 2-3 years minimum,maybe more,as long as his issues with contact doesn’t hamper us too much. Courtois being at Madrid has a chance to play really good teams like Real,Barca,Valencia,Villareal,Sevilla etc pretty often…and maybe even Europa League next year. Can only aid his development as opposed to sticking him into a lower PL team next year. He seems to be a lot more assured than De Gea,though-he might even make an impression right after coming back from Spain,no PL loan needed.
by Avinash Mohan on Jan 11, 2012 8:06 PM GMT via mobile reply actions
I agree with your point
I say keep him at Madrid for another season-I mean,Cech is still only 29,very young in goalkeeper terms. He can handle being our GK for another 2-3 years minimum,maybe more,as long as his issues with contact doesn’t hamper us too much. Courtois being at Madrid has a chance to play really good teams like Real,Barca,Valencia,Villareal,Sevilla etc pretty often…and maybe even Europa League next year. Can only aid his development as opposed to sticking him into a lower PL team next year. He seems to be a lot more assured than De Gea,though-he might even make an impression right after coming back from Spain,no PL loan needed.
by Avinash Mohan on Jan 11, 2012 8:13 PM GMT via mobile reply actions
It's a shame
because Cech has got years left in goal for Chelsea and Courtois will eventually be sold due to his frustration at not getting enough first team action. Can’t you just see it?
Cech has many years left, his standard of performance seems to be... dropping.
For lack of a better word. If Thibaut keeps improving, who’s to say he can’t surpass the current Cech?
If making a huge profit off of a ridiculously shrewd signing is the worst case scenario
We’re in pretty good shape going forward
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 12, 2012 1:33 AM GMT up reply actions
Didn't Cech cost us like 6m?
We’d easily get three times that, if not more, now, after nearly a decades excellent service, and we could probably double our money on Courtois after his season with Atletico. At the very least, Courtois should light a fire under Cech and get him back to his best.
I can’t see any situation where we don’t end up with a big pile of cash and a world-class goal keeper that doesn’t involve a tractor accident.
Author and Official Fernando Torres Apologist for We Ain't Got No History!
by Kevin Kostka on Jan 12, 2012 2:09 AM GMT up reply actions
And then there was Jamal Blackman to think about...
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 12, 2012 2:13 AM GMT up reply actions
I wouldn't count on seeing much more of Taylor
He’s out of contract in June and I get the feeling Chelsea let him go back on loan to showcase himself for a summer move. Delac flashes potential when he gets on the pitch, but he’s in a really bad spot due to his lack of a work permit. Hopefully he gets some pitch time soon so we can see what we have there. We have him under contract until June 2014, so we do have some time there.
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 12, 2012 3:29 AM GMT up reply actions
Isn't there another keeper we have? He has a bizarre name and I think he's
from Romania. Not Delac, someone else.
No Romanians that I've ever heard of
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 12, 2012 5:09 AM GMT up reply actions
OK, I've done some research and the name I heard was Ciprian Tătărușanu.
Googled him, and he plays for Steau Bucherast. Some ITK said he’s training at Cobham with us. I’m gonna go ahead and file this under “bollocks”.
That was a waste of time.
The key there is to waste that time at work
Then you’re at least being paid for it
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 12, 2012 2:49 PM GMT up reply actions
Blackman has been pretty sharp
What do you think the future holds for him?
by el chelsea fuerte on Jan 12, 2012 3:32 AM GMT up reply actions
It's funny, when you look at our youth system...
…you notice that we already have an almost embarrassing amount of talent, and we’re going to get more. There’s no way we can get all of them into the first team, even if they all develop completely. We’ve spent a lot on most of them, but we should be able to get more moving them on, unless we let them go for free out of courtesy. I can’t wait until our academy starts showing results. If we can sort out the first team until then, we’ll be set.
Author and Official Fernando Torres Apologist for We Ain't Got No History!
by Kevin Kostka on Jan 12, 2012 2:41 AM GMT up reply actions
That's the effing problem
When you look at our most talented youths+plus cheap talented players we bought, on top of my head I can name: Courtois, Bruma, Kalas, Aanholt, McEachran, Piazon, Lukaku, Feruz, Chalobah. That’s 9 players already and since we will already have the likes of Mata, Ramires, Romeu, Sturridge + players players we may buy in a future squad…
I can see us having at least 5 young players from the current crop in a future squad, but the problem is all these guys I have mentioned have definitely been hyped at some point and seeing them not make it will be very hard.
by el chelsea fuerte on Jan 12, 2012 3:44 AM GMT up reply actions
They're all under the age of 20, except PvA and Bruma, so...
…they have plenty of time. If they’re not good enough, though, they’re not good enough. In a top-level academy situation, if you can get one player every year, you’re doing very well. It’s not that the “rejects” aren’t good, it’s that we need world-class players. No team is ever going to get all of their players from the academy. Even Barcelona have bought in quite a few. Sadly, of the top 10% of prospects, at most 10% of those have a chance of making it at the top level, and maybe 10% of those actually do. Of those, there are those who can make it straight away, though not always at their first club, [e.g. Sturridge], those who are cast-off, but make eventually [e.g. Mata], and those who come through lower-level clubs [e.g. Chris Smalling]. There are only so many elite clubs and so many places at them, so a lot of the kids won’t make it. If it were possible to sift through all the prospects and find the best, it would be better, but we have to take in a bunch who don’t make it to find them.
Author and Official Fernando Torres Apologist for We Ain't Got No History!
by Kevin Kostka on Jan 12, 2012 4:12 AM GMT up reply actions
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