The curious case of Courtois

[The only place to be 11,313]

This is my only and major worry when it comes to Courtois. These are considered some of his best 'saves' at Atletico but just look how many times he parries the ball away for a corner or to the opposition when he should actually hold it in his hands. He needs to work on that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFwMp2l1cK4

That's very much a modern goalkeeping technique based on the way balls behave nowadays. Cech is the master at redirecting the ball away from danger - if you can't definitely grab it then ideally you push it to the side so it goes out for a throw in or a full-back can pick it up. If you can't do that then you redirect it behind for a corner, and if that not's possible then you push it towards one of your own players or into space. In my opinion Courtois has the intelligence to choose the right option in most situations.

He's probably one of the most technically sound young keepers around. His positioning is excellent and he uses his legs well. When you look at De Gea, he was always brilliant at the spectacular saves but struggled with the more basic saves especially if they were close to his body. Courtois has that firm foundation and has built on that each season.

I also like his distribution and his confidence to shout at his defenders despite his young age. United won a league title this season with uncertainty at this position and ended up with a keeper I don't rate as highly as Thibaut. That's why i absolutely believe that we wouldn't skip a beat if we made the change tomorrow, but I think he should stay as Atletico for one more year.

[Stingray 9,441]

That's very much a modern goalkeeping technique based on the way balls behave nowadays. Cech is very much the master at redirecting the ball away from danger - ideally you push it to the side so it goes out for a throw in or a full-back can pick it up. If you can't do that then you redirect it behind for a corner, and if that not's possible then you push it towards one of your own players or into space. In my opinion Courtois has the intelligence to choose the right option in a lot of these cases.

He's probably one of the most technically sound young keepers around. His positioning is excellent and he uses his legs well. When you look at De Gea, he was always brilliant at the spectacular saves but struggled with the more basic saves especially if they were close to his body. Courtois has that firm foundation and has built on that each season.

I also like his distribution and his confidence to shout at his defenders despite his young age. United won a league title this season with uncertainty at this position and ended up with a keeper I don't rate as highly as Thibaut. That's why i absolutely believe that we wouldn't skip a beat if we made the change tomorrow, but I think he should stay as Atletico for one more year.

Agree totally. If I could I would have given you five likes.

[DDA 9,924]

It's a damn shame that Courtois isn't a good 3 years younger so he arrives on the footballing scene when Cech is closer to retirement. Like Alex said, Cech is a forever etched in the grain of Chelsea and there is no way we can just cast him away because his ideal replacement is awaiting in Spain. The best way to keep Courtois happy is to give him another season at Athletico as he seem's very happy there and will be playing Champions League football that he helped gain for the club.

After one year assess where Cech is at and how Courtois feel's about the situation. All thought we have to treat Cech with the utmost respect and care, I think we should do all we can to keep Courtois on board as it's plain to see that he has what a man need's to become the next best goalkeeper in the world. Perfect replacement for Cech.

[nachikethas 1,154]

Im emotionally very attached to cech may be more than lamps,ballack,jt and drogba. And it makes me hate courtios a bit sensing cech may have to sideline.

[Leif 6,006]

@The only place to be,

Now I remember why you're Member Of The Month That all makes a lot of sense.

[Madmax 9,219]

I genuinely wouldn't mind in the slightest if we begin next season with Courtois in goal. I love Cech, he is a legend but good teams don't hesitate bringing someone in when that someone has obvious world class potential. Thibaut is that man.

[The Mak 4,459]

That doesn't really conflict with what I said. I'm not saying that we should throw Thibaut away, just that at the moment it makes much more sense to keep Cech and loan Courtois out because Petr is still the better keeper. At the end of next season we can asses the situation again and make a decision again.

PS: I'm not sure what mistakes you're talking about. You can literally count the 'mistakes' Cech has made this season on one hand.

I agree with where you're coming from totally!

Well, not 'mistakes' really. They are rare. What I mean to say was that there have been a number of times where I thought he could've done a lot better. I'm not saying these could've been avoided with Courtois, but I think he is more motivated to impress and better himself on a constant basis in comparison.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I agree with where you're coming from totally!

Well, not 'mistakes' really. They are rare. What I mean to say was that there have been a number of times where I thought he could've done a lot better. I'm not saying these could've been avoided with Courtois, but I think he is more motivated to impress and better himself on a constant basis in comparison.

No I completely agree. Petr has maybe lacked a bit of motivation because there really hasn't been anyone pushing him for his starting position in a very long while.

[Wavy Crockett 190]

been said Courtois should've been our #1 since start of this season

[AndersonBLUE 819]

Cech has become a complete professional though. Won everything there is in club football and has the experience of big matches in the most unlikeliness of odds. Ofc we are all sentimental towards Cech, but he is a world class keeper that I wouldn't trade in just yet. Courtois should get 1, possibly 2 more years (hopefully at a PL club too) on loan and then come back to train with Chelsea.

[GodZola 630]

All the discussion is already in the Courtois data base as the debate has been going on in there for the best part of a year where Zolayes and I have remained steadfast about the situation, not sure why this thread wasn't/hasn't been amalgamated?

Anyway I'm not going to go over all the old ground but I will just add that Jose has been successful in his career because he hasn't allowed sentiment into his thought process when making tough decisions - this one will be no different. If this is not managed properly then we could see Courtois leaving on a free probably to Barca in a couple of years, let's hope the club tie him down for the long haul first and let Jose handle the rest.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

not sure why this thread wasn't/hasn't been amalgamated?

Probably because I have absolutely no idea what that means

Seriously though, the season is over and there is no actual football to discuss so people tend to create threads like this and this stops the forum from being too inactive.

[Stingray 9,441]

this stops the forum from being too inactive.

I can fix that you know, Choulo

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I can fix that you know, Choulo

No, no. You're plan 'Z', we only keep you for apocalyptic emergencies!

[Stingray 9,441]

No, no. You're plan 'Z', we only keep you for apocalyptic emergencies!

Owkee. Just call me to get the party started when Armageddon arrives!