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Plenty has been made of Chelsea’s 2-4 defeat against the New York Red Bulls last night with Asmir Begovic conceding all four goals. However, Thibaut Courtois has leapt to the defence of the new arrival and insists that his life isn’t any easier now.
Courtois is referring to the fact that Petr Cech has made the move to North London to join Arsenal with Begovic signing for Chelsea from Stoke as his replacement. Plenty believe that Begovic has signed up to play second fiddle to the big Belgian but Courtois sees things from a different perspective.
Competition with Begovic and Cech is the same for me: Courtois
He said: “It is the same as last year for me. I started the pre-season thinking as a No.1 and trying to get myself ready for the first game. There is no difference in having Petr Cech behind me or Asmir. They’re both great keepers and I know I have to play well and that is what I’m trying to do.
“We saw last season that having another good keeper is very good because Petr saved us a lot of points and helped us to secure the Premier League title.
“My life is not any easier now. Last season was the same because I knew Petr wanted to play. I had the confidence of the manager and the team and I think I did well. You know when you have a good keeper behind you, you have to play well.
“Asmir and Petr are the same for me. Okay, Petr was a Chelsea legend and he has more support from the fans maybe, but I will always do my best for the team. Last season went well winning the League Cup and Premier League and hopefully we can win more trophies and defend the title.
“Of course, I hope to win as many trophies as I can, but I will not look to what Petr did. What he did with Chelsea was something great, alongside Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry. Now it’s the new era. I don’t want to be compared with Petr. I am a new player, another keeper and I’m going a different way.
“What Petr did with Chelsea was exceptional. I hope to get as many trophies as he did. But his tally it is not something I am staring at.
“Will I be here for a decade like him? We will see what happens. I have a contract for another four years and we will see how things go. I am happy here in Chelsea. In my first year I won two trophies, which is amazing. Let’s hope we can continue like that and add more trophies to my collection. That will be awesome.”
We have to put last night behind us and especially Asmir Begovic. We have all seen the goals and it’s important to remember that everyone was getting their first 45 minutes of pre-season after only SIX days training.
I like the fact that Begovic has come in and made all the right noises about wanting to fight for the number one position. It would be easy for him to come here and relax and count his double your money salary, but he is a professional and will be working hard to keep Courtois on his toes.
One thing I will say though. Courtois is still only young and will continue to get better and better so Begovic will have a fight on his hands!
