Does Thibaut Courtois Deserve to Walk Straight Back into the Chelsea Lineup?

Jose Mourinho hasn't shied away from making the tough decisions at Chelsea this season.

We've seen the Blues manager bench his biggest stars at different stages of the campaign, with Diego Costa the latest casualty in Mourinho's attempts to get his team back to their championship-winning form.

There have been formation changes, systems refined and players culled.

Mourinho has another difficult call to make: does he keep Asmir Begovic in goal now that Thibaut Courtois is match fit? Or does Courtois walk straight back into the Chelsea lineup against Bournemouth this weekend?

"Courtois is selected [against Bournemouth]," Mourinho confirmed on Friday. "He's been out for a long, long time. Too long. Now we feel better as we have him and Begovic.

"He was our goalkeeper last season and we know how fundamental he was for us. It's very important we have him back."

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Seeing Courtois' name among the 18 selected this weekend will be a big boost for Chelsea. The Blues' season is gradually turning around and now their No. 1 goalkeeper is back among their number.

Courtois has been out of action for three months, though. In that time, Begovic has featured in all 19 matches the Belgian has missed, rarely putting a foot wrong.

Indeed, save for his howler against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, Begovic has kept Chelsea in matches during Courtois' absence.

There were the big saves against Tottenham Hotspur only last weekend that secured a goalless draw. Before that in midweek, Begovic had made some equally crucial saves to deny Maccabi Tel-Aviv as Chelsea went on to win 4-0 in Israel.

Despite Courtois' credentials as being among the world's finest stoppers, Begovic deserves some credit for how he has served Chelsea this season.

Yes, Courtois is the No. 1 at Stamford Bridge, but he shouldn't be thrown back in immediately.

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That sends the wrong message. Not only to Begovic, but this entire Chelsea team. It would be a clear indicator that Mourinho has his darlings and nothing is going to change that fact, regardless of how a player performs.

We've seen a hint of that already this term when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was promised minutes in the wake of Chelsea's horrendous form in September and early October.

After another home defeat—this time to Southampton—Mourinho explained Loftus-Cheek had earned the right to challenge the more established stars.

On the back of the international break that followed, the Chelsea youngster was given just 45 minutes against Aston Villa before being hooked at half-time.

Despite Chelsea's slump continuing, we didn't see Loftus-Cheek in action again until six weeks later, when he appeared as an 89th-minute sub against Spurs last Sunday.

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All the while, Chelsea's big names were far from their best, but Loftus-Cheek couldn't break through.

And that's the point. Whether or not Mourinho throws Courtois back into the fray at the first time of asking this weekend, there is a wider picture to consider than just the goalkeepers.

Begovic has his shortcomings, although he has excelled since arriving from Stoke City this summer. He has looked every bit a No. 1 goalkeeper in these three months, regardless of Courtois being his superior.

It's inevitable the Belgian will eventually usurp Begovic again, but it shouldn't be this weekend, and it shouldn't be instant.

"Courtois is Courtois," Mourinho added. "To miss Courtois for a couple of matches, we knew we had the protection of a good goalkeeper. But to lose your No. 1 for three months—19 matches without the best goalkeeper in the world—was hard for us.

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"Now we are again in a super situation by having the best and a very good one."

To show Mourinho's words carry some substance and regard, that he is genuine in his regard for Begovic, he has to start the Bosnian this weekend.

Moreover, Mourinho must ensure Begovic doesn't disappear into the background for the remainder of the season, too.

Courtois' injury has meant the situation at Stamford Bridge has changed. It's not as black-and-white as before, when Courtois was the clear first-choice over Begovic.

Now Courtois has to re-establish that. It shouldn't be gifted to him.

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