Petr Cech Start Against Hull City Vindicates Jose Mourinho's Summer Decision
As Petr Cech is set to start for Chelsea against Hull City on Saturday, the goalkeeper's quality and availability in the absence of injured first-choice Thibaut Courtois vindicates a difficult decision made in the summer by manager Jose Mourinho.
Ahead of the visit of Hull, the manager confirmed, per the Guardian, that "Courtois had a little problem in training, a muscular problem, and is not available."
Mourinho continued, offering a silver lining: "But it’s a chance for Petr and a chance for Mark [Schwarzer] to be on the bench. So I’m more than comfortable."
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Following Chelsea's first Premier League loss of the season last weekend, suffering a 2-1 defeat away to Alan Pardew's Newcastle United, Mourinho will be looking to bounce back into the form that has seen them sit comfortably at the top of the league table.
Luckily, despite the loss of Courtois, Mourinho has an exceptional goalkeeper in Cech to rely on.
This is a situation the manager was surely envisaging as he opted for Courtois as his No. 1 goalkeeper in the summer—keeping Cech at the club was immensely important.
Mourinho's Decision
Courtois' stock was immeasurably high on returning to Stamford Bridge after a three-year loan spell in La Liga with Atletico Madrid.
Last season, Atletico manager Diego Simeone told Spanish TV channel Cuatro (h/t ESPN) that: "For me, any price for Courtois would be cheap. He is a young guy who has a huge future ahead of him and is on course to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world."
Following this admission, Courtois went on to star in Atletico's La Liga-winning, Champions League final-contending 2013/14 season.
However, this "huge future" was to be with Chelsea.
In a press conference prior to this season's start, Mourinho told reporters, per the Daily Mail, that "[in] my opinion with all the respect to fantastic goalkeepers around the world, I think Chelsea has two of the three best goalkeepers in the world."
Mourinho continued: "This is something unique. Is it a problem for me? A great problem. They are both fantastic goalkeepers. It's a problem every manager in every club would like to have."
The manager clearly had to make a big decision on which of these players would be his first-choice custodian, and he recognised that by admitting: "If Petr [Cech] plays [Thibaut] Courtois can think about leaving, or visa versa [sic]."
In the end, Mourinho opted for the younger, more high-potential model in Courtois, and the 22-year-old has made 15 league appearances so far this season.
Reading between the lines, and with Mourinho looking to assess the situation "pragmatically," this was a wise decision, as putting his faith in Courtois will likely have ensured the Blues' goalkeeping stability for the next 15 years.
In keeping Cech at the club as back-up, the manager unveiled his masterstroke.
Petr Cech: the World's Best Back-up?
As Mourinho claimed, Cech is one of the best goalkeepers in world football.
This is made even more stark when comparing the 32-year-old with the Premier League's other back-up goalkeeping options.
Of Chelsea's immediate rivals, in Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, these stand as Willy Caballero, Anders Lindegaard, David Ospina, Brad Jones, Joel Robles and Michel Vorm.
While Caballero is undoubtedly a fine goalkeeper, and Ospina and Vorm both hugely reliable options, none of them come close to Cech.
In fact, no Premier League goalkeeper to have spent 2013/14 as their club's first choice (30-plus league appearances) conceded fewer goals than Cech; the Chelsea man let in just 24, with City's Joe Hart closest with 30, according to Squawka.
These performances saw Cech included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, with ThePFA.com describing him as "a model of consistency."
This included Cech keeping a league-high 16 clean sheets and undoubtedly stands the Czech shot-stopper as the finest back-up goalkeeper in the Premier League, and there is a persuasive case to suggest that he remains in that bracket of "the three best goalkeepers in the world."
Quality, Strength and Depth
As Chelsea's comfortable 3-1 victory over Sporting CP in the Champions League on Wednesday showed, the Blues are blessed with great quality in depth this season.
This will be central to the side's success this season, as inevitable injury problems will look to hamper their progress in the league, in Europe and on the domestic cup stage.
With Eden Hazard rested, Andre Schurrle performed; with John Terry rested, Kurt Zouma performed.
In his weekend build-up, Mourinho declared: "I'm so happy that we have this fantastic situation with the goalkeepers," and the manager is likely delighted as the buck for elite competition generally ends when it comes to goalkeepers.
As the manager attests, Cech "doesn’t need to prove anything to me, the club, to his team-mates or to the supporters. He has absolutely nothing to prove." He remains a world-class goalkeeper.
With Courtois absent, Cech will surely perform.
Perhaps this vital fixture, with Chelsea needing to reaffirm their grip in the Premier League title race with a win at home to Hull City on Saturday, and with Petr Cech serving as the injured Thibaut Courtois' stand-in, most precisely vindicates a tough, measured summer decision by Jose Mourinho.
Statistics via WhoScored.com, unless specified.
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