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#9 Thibaut Courtois – Chelsea
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It’s been a season of redemption for Chelsea, and much like the Blues’ fortunes, Thibaut Courtois has also enjoyed a stellar spell in goal, as the Belgian has turned around his form to win the Premier League Golden Glove award with a superb haul of 16 clean sheets in the league. The credit, according to Courtois, goes to an Italian – not Antonio Conte, but Gianluca Spinelli, the same man who once trained Gigi Buffon.
Chelsea’s Belgian keeper had a falling out with Cristophe Lollichon, the former Chelsea keeping coach, and went on to credit his uptick in form to Spinelli, saying "Training with Spinelli is completely different as he’s from the Italian school. He wants me to push more laterally straight away when I dive, rather than taking a step forward first. As a youngster I learned to put one foot forward before I dived, but he prefers goalkeepers to move laterally first. It has improved the speed of my diving and I’m getting down quicker.”Cristophe Lollichon, the former Chelsea keeping coach, and went on to credit his uptick in form to Spinelli, saying "Training with Spinelli is completely different as he’s from the Italian school. He wants me to push more laterally straight away when I dive, rather than taking a step forward first. As a youngster I learned to put one foot forward before I dived, but he prefers goalkeepers to move laterally first. It has improved the speed of my diving and I’m getting down quicker.”
“We’re also doing a lot more ball-work in training, always practising in situations which are game realistic. Spinelli likes us to really attack the ball with our feet, as well as coming for crosses, which is a very Italian trait, so you could say I’ve learned that from [Gianluigi] Buffon. I’m always trying to learn things from different goalkeepers.”
If Courtois continues to listen to Spinelli, we can expect more Golden Gloves and a rise up this list next season.
| 2016/17 Stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 36 |
| Goals Conceded | 28 |
| Clean Sheets | 16 |
| Saves | 58 |
| Saves per goal (SPG) | 2.15 |
| Penalties (Saved/Conceded) | 0/2 |
| Distribution Accuracy | 72% |
