Has Petr Cech Redefined the Role of the Back-Up Goalkeeper at Chelsea?

When Thibaut Courtois started as Chelsea's goalkeeper against Burnley on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, it seemed Petr Cech's time at Stamford Bridge was up.

It was history repeating—only this time Cech was losing his place in the side to a young upstart in much the same way Carlo Cudicini had done to him a decade earlier in 2004.

Jose Mourinho was having none of it, though.

The Chelsea boss had seen his new-look side brush Burnley aside with ease and all the authority we have come to expect from them.

Andre Schurrle had scored a goal-of-the-season contender in that 3-1 win, but there was one thing journalists wanted to ask Mourinho: What did Cech's omission mean for his Chelsea future?

"I don't like that word 'for the rest of the season'," he said, asked if Courtois would be No. 1 for 2014/15.

"No, he is not my first choice for the rest of the season. He was my first choice today [...] but when you have on your side, working like the top professional that he is, when you have somebody like Petr, if you don't perform you are in trouble.

"[...] No player is happy when he is not playing, even sometimes when you take players off when they have 10 minutes to go. I know Petr for 10 years, he will not relax and sit in a chair and say 'I have no chance.' He will be exactly the opposite."

Proof of that philosophy was clear at Wembley in the Capital One Cup final.

Courtois has been a big presence in the Chelsea goal this term, notably in the League Cup semi-final against Liverpool, when he put in two excellent displays across both legs.

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That did nothing to earn him a place in the line-up at Wembley, however, as Cech started.

In contrast, Michel Vorm had featured for Tottenham Hotspur—Chelsea's Wembley opponents—in the earlier rounds of the competition, but when silverware was on the line, Mauricio Pochettino went with Hugo Lloris.

Ruthless it may have been, yet when trophies are available, the logic is such that every manager plays his best team.

So it poses the question: Is there such a thing as a No. 1 goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge?

Cech's performances this term have bucked the trend of what we know as the traditional roles for goalkeepers, and Mourinho's felt the benefit.

"This was Petr's competition. I chose him because this was his competition," the Chelsea manager reflected after Chelsea's 2-0 victory in the final. 

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"We made a decision to make Courtois our first-choice keeper because he is the young one, he is the future and he is amazing for his age. We said this would be Petr's competition, but when I started giving him a Champions League or Premier League match now and again, I opened the door for myself to play Courtois in this competition.

"I wanted to play him away at Liverpool [in the semi-final] and we were successful with that. They are both doing so well that everybody feels comfortable with every decision. I try to be fair and Petr deserved to play today, but we all know Courtois deserves the cup as much as him."

It's difficult to recall a time when this has happened in football. Every successful squad has strength in depth, yet there is only ever room for one exceptionally gifted goalkeeper.

That Chelsea have two and they're both happy with the situation is as remarkable as the transformation the club's fortunes have experienced since Roman Abramovich's takeover.

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The past decade has belonged to Cech at Chelsea, and elsewhere, other major clubs have one outstanding goalkeeper.

At Bayern Munich, it's Manuel Neuer, Manchester United have David de Gea. The list continues and the lines are clear, yet at Chelsea it's not so. Cech has blurred them.

What Mourinho admitted inside the Wembley press room is he had given up on his goalkeeper when he replaced him with Courtois, only Cech wasn't so eager to accept his fate.

He rose to the challenge, and whether or not he heard Mourinho's words from way back in August, Cech didn't sit in a corner sobbing—he battled his way back into his manager's plans.

Whenever he's had an opportunity, Cech has seized it. He's made 14 appearances in all competitions, keeping eight clean sheets.

In comparison, Chelsea's reserve goalkeeper last season was Mark Schwarzer and he made 12 all season—half of which came at the back end of the campaign when Cech was out injured.

The trust between manager and player wasn't there. Schwarzer was a reserve in every sense of the term, a player there to make up the numbers and cover injuries.

He did his job, but now Cech has redefined what we've come to expect from a man in his position.

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Who is Chelsea's No. 1 goalkeeper right now?

If we're going on games played, Courtois wins that bout. If we're basing it on the most recent appearance, the crown is Cech's.

Chelsea's ambition since Abramovich stepped in with his wealth was to raise the bar and lead the way in English football.

With their two goalkeepers, perhaps they are.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes