Chelsea's Goalkeeper conundrum: Petr Cech or Thibaut Courtois?

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech

“The hardest choices in life aren’t between what’s right and what’s wrong but between what’s right and what’s best.” – Jamie Ford ‘in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet’.

A lot has been made in recent times over how Chelsea will handle the Cech-Courtois situation, with neither satisfied with a job that roughly goes by the description of using one’s rear to warm a bench on a cold night at the Bridge. Cech is still relatively young in goalkeeping years, a 31-year-old with a wealth of experience, having proven himself to be one of the best goalkeepers of this era time and time again. However, Courtois on the other hand is possibly inside the top 3 goalkeepers in football of today, having picked up the Zamora Trophy for most clean sheets in La Liga as well as leading Atletico to the Europa League and Copa del Rey in his time on loan at the Spanish club.

Rewind now to the year 2000. After showing glimpses of promise in the previous season, a relatively unknown Carlo Cudicini dethroned fan favorite and veteran keeper Ed de Goey from the Chelsea no. 1 spot to some fan’s umbrage. The Italian proved himself with his performances though, cementing his place in the starting XI and winning over the fans himself. In the span of one season, Cudicini went from new boy to Chelsea Player of the Year (voted for, by the fans). Carlo, not a particularly tall goalkeeper, proved any doubter wrong with an absolutely stellar season in 2002-03, going from strength to strength, leading the Blues to a fourth place finish, qualifying for the Champions League while keeping 12 clean sheets and conceding only 35 goals.

The next season saw Carlo’s ghosts of injury haunt him again, though his value was duly underlined when backup keeper Ambrosio simply failed to step up. This is when Claudio Ranieri started scouting a young Czech keeper from Rennes who went by the name of Petr Cech as a better, more equipped no. 2 to Cudicini than Ambrosio. Having impressed the Italian, Cech arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2004, though to work under the Portuguese ‘Special One’, who we need no introduction to.

Mourinho was even more impressed with Cech than Ranieri and gave the relatively unknown 22-year-old Czech his first start in Chelsea’s first match of the 2004-05 Premier League season against the daunting Manchester United. There was again frustration among sections of the fans about Cudicini’s relegation to the bench. He was a club legend, a top, top keeper. But much like his predecessor, Cech’s performances spoke for themselves. A clean sheet on debut vs United was followed by 20 more clean sheets that season, including a run of 10 consecutive strangleholds on the opposition. Much like Cudicini, Cech had cemented his place in the starting XI and won over the fans himself.

Following Jesus’ example, Jose could have said, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” to his own St Petr as it very much applied to him. Cech was the rock upon which Jose built his Chelsea, that ever-dependable towering figure at the back upon whom the cathedral of Chelsea has grown up unto the clouds in the past 9 years.

Back to the present, and the scenario is much like previous goalkeeping scenarios at the West London club. The only difference is that Courtois’ reputation goes before him now, unlike Cech and Cudicini who came to Chelsea when little was known of them. As mentioned before, Petr Cech is still young in goalkeeping years, with many more years left in football. The Czech’s performances have dwindled slightly this season, seeming slightly more vulnerable at the back than he used to be and having let in a few goals that the Cech of old would have tipped over the bar or parried away to safety. Courtois, on the other hand is flying high, conceding only 9 goals in La Liga and sitting pretty at second in the table with Atletico, level on points with the mighty Barcelona.

Thibaut Courtois is on loan at Atletico Madrid

Neither would be content with a position on the bench, that is for sure and both put up reasonable and valid bids for the no. 1 spot at Chelsea. Though he has been a shadow of his former self this season, Cech has still pulled off some magnificent saves and still seems to have quite a bit to offer Chelsea before he hangs up his boots, and hanging up his boots at Chelsea is what all Chelsea fans and Cech himself would absolutely love to see. However, Courtois’ talent is simply too big to fill a benchwarmer role and should he be overlooked at Chelsea, he will court other clubs’ advances, with Barcelona being notably interested in him as a long-term replacement for Valdes. Having let go of youngsters in recent times only to see them flourish at other clubs (read Daniel Sturridge and Nemanja Matic), Chelsea simply cannot afford to let go of possibly the best young goalkeeper of today.

There is no happy end to this very awkward dilemma – being forced to choose between two brilliant goalkeepers, but the most logical answer is to look back to 2004, where the same scenario prevailed; the no. 1 spot being contested by a promising 22-year-old and a 31-year-old top club legend. In 2004, the 22-year-old went on to become one of the best keepers in Chelsea history and even more notably, Chelsea had zero goalkeeping woes for the next decade. Petr Cech will go from one end of the spectrum in 2004 to the other in the summer of 2014. At the most, the two-time Golden Glove winner offers a maximum of 5 years at the top for Chelsea, and that is provided that he remains at his absolute fit self.

Legendary goalkeepers like Edwin van der Sar and Oliver Kahn have played well into their late 30′s at the top level and it could be expected of Cech to do the same. However, Courtois offers the more safe, assured option. Courtois offers the same goalkeeping stability that Cech offered in 2004. Should they stick by him, Chelsea will have little to worry about goalkeeping for the next decade or even longer, because that is exactly what his talent promises. History, if not Thibaut’s unbelievable talent, convinces us that it will repeat itself, deja vu will prevail, and Courtois may well engrave his place firmly in both the starting lineup and the fans’ heart.

Cech could stay on as a no. 2 like Cudicini, and given his good terms with Mourinho, there should be a fair amount of rotation between the two keepers, but one would have to think that Cech deserves to win a few more medals in his career and play many more games. He does not deserve the same fate as Cudicini, having missed out on a medal in both of Chelsea’s back-to-back Premier League triumphs because he did not play enough games.

Hence, I re-quote Jamie Ford, “The hardest choices in life aren’t between what’s right and what’s wrong but between what’s right and what’s best.”

A balding Petr Cech on the shoulders of his teammates waving to thronging crowds at the Shed End as he caps off his career as the Chelsea no. 1 – his no. 1 spot only relinquished by retirement – and a few more medals to his already expansive collection after 15 years or so at the club, is what seems right.

But, a Thibaut Courtois rising to greater heights, winning numerous honours – personal and club – and being a young rock upon which Jose will build his new Chelsea, very much like a St Petr version 2.0, is what seems best.

As much as anyone would love to watch the Czech see out his career at SW6 after all his years of dedicated service and matchwinning moments, if the situation arrives at a point where neither will want to stay if he is not first-choice, the ideal choice would be the Belgian and Mourinho may have to sit down for a very awkward talk with an old favorite..