Petr Cech or Thibaut Courtois: Who is the better goalkeeper?

Will Petr Cech still be Chelsea’s no. 1 goalkeeper next season?

Petr Cech has been a stalwart at Chelsea since the orginal Jose Mourinho days. The Czech Republic goalkeeper holds the club record for most clean sheets with 212 and, at 32 years of age, is performing as strongly as ever in the Blues’ goal. Despite this, many believe that Thibaut Courtois, the young Belgian goalkeeper currently on loan at Atletico Madrid, should replace Cech at the end of the season as first-choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge.

Courtois is just 21-year-old, and yet his reputation as one of the highest performing goalkeepers is now talked about more than his potential; it has reached a stage where the Belgian is known for his current ability, rather than his exciting future, and as such Mourinho has a big decision to make about the goalkeeper role at Chelsea next season.

How Cech and Courtois compare in Squawka’s Comparison Matrix

The Portuguese has talked frequently of building for next season and his decision to retain Cech as number one this season suggests that it will be the current Chelsea goalkeeper who is preferred next year; however, the consistently strong performances of Courtois will certainly be involved in Mourinho’s thought processes as he looks to craft a Blues side as strong as the one with which he achieved success in his initial spell in England.

The Comparison Matrix screen above makes for interesting reading. Courtois is stronger than his goalkeeping rival in all four categories listed on the Matrix, evidence to suggest that Mourinho, despite media hints that the Chelsea boss will sell Courtois to aid Financial Fair Play, will have to think deeply about who he selects as his first-choice goalkeeper next season – it is certain that neither man will be content to watch the other from the bench.

The comparison enabled by the Matrix shows that Courtois makes a greater number of saves per goal than Cech, an area in which the Belgian is quite comfortably stronger than his counterpart. While some control has to be made for facing weaker shots, the relatively large gap between the two goalkeepers in this area suggests that Courtois is the better shot-stopper and, with 12 clean sheets to his name, it is evident that the 21-year-old would be extremely capable of performing in Chelsea’s first-team – as if that wasn’t already obvious, anyway.

Courtois is enjoying another fine season on loan at Atletico

In terms of Performance Score, Cech possesses the highest overall figure, but in terms of a per 90 minutes total it is Courtois who emerges the victor. His Performance Score of 350 is the seventh highest in the Atletico Madrid squad and testament to the consistency which the Belgian brings to every game. Cech’s Score is 363 but, by virtue of playing three more matches than Courtois, falls behind in this department, too; the difference, however, is not massive in this area.

Despite a couple of off moments, on the whole Cech has continued his solid form at Stamford Bridge this season

With the role of the goalkeeper evolving in a fashion which necessitates the man with the gloves being comfortable with the ball at his feet, Mourinho will be placing a lot of emphasis upon the distribution skill of each player. In a Chelsea side which has often pushed Branislav Ivanovic high up the pitch to use as a kind of wide target man, this is especially important and the Comparison Matrix reveals that Courtois is the best man to fulfil this duty.

Courtois’ distribution could fit in perfectly with Mourinho’s tactics

The Premier League has always been a division in which goalkeepers have to cope with a high level of physicality and Cech has always shown exceptional quality in this department. However, Courtois’ aerial ability is one of the strongest aspects of the Belgian’s game and, as the Comparison Matrix shows, the Atletico goalkeeper makes more catches per game than Cech.

Despite this, the current Chelsea goalkeeper has been successful with 94% of his claims this season, a figure which overshadows Courtois’ 86% – while the 21-year-old loanee makes more catches per match, he fails to deal with them as frequently as Cech does

Petr Cech’s command of his box is unrivalled in the PL

The two goalkeepers are very evenly matched, and, though Courtois has better statistics on the Comparison Matrix, the differences are, for the most part, marginal; consequently, and because of Cech’s strong aerial ability, Mourinho is likely to retain the Czech Republic international as his first-choice goalkeeper next season. Whether Cech remains as number one for the seasons following that remains to be seen.