In 2013, a new word called ‘Thibauting’ had become a craze in Spain. ‘Thibauting’, defined as ‘emulating a classic Thibaut Courtois save in any random location’, made people all over the world post pictures of themselves in their favourite Thibauting pose which ranged everywhere from couches to cliffs.
It was a result of his numerous match-saving performances for Atletico Madrid on loan from Chelsea. Thibaut Courtois continued to dazzle between the sticks for Atletico that year which saw them play in the Champions League Final and win an unprecedented La Liga title in 2014.
After his heroics with his loan club, Chelsea recalled this giant of a goalkeeper in 2014 to compete for a starting position against the Chelsea legend, Petr Cech. Mourinho decided to start Courtois in the league games in the 2014-15 season and the Belgian repaid the faith his manager put on him as Chelsea romped to the title that season.
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Cech hadn’t done much wrong and played his part when called upon. However, Jose, keeping in mind the future of the club, decided to hand the reigns to Thibaut which saw him adapt well and keep the number one goalkeeping spot to himself. By the end of the season, Courtois, along with Manchester United’s David De Gea(who was also rising leaps and bounds), was rated the two best young goalkeepers in the world.
In his debut season at Chelsea, Courtois kept 12 clean sheets in the 32 matches he played in the Premier League with an average of 0.94 goals conceded per game. He was often a saviour as the last line of Chelsea’s defence, often being forced to make one-on-one saves as an ageing John Terry and the not-so-brisk Gary Cahill failed in chasing the opponent attackers.
His strength lay in impeccable reflexes despite his massive build and ease in collecting balls from corners and set pieces. Thibauting continued and Courtois was beginning to be hailed as one of the best in Europe.
The next season, however, was nothing like the season gone by. In September, Courtois suffered a knee injury in training which would keep him out of action until December. Meanwhile, the Chelsea camp was in ruins. Jose Mourinho was losing match after match for the first time in his career which saw Chelsea drop down to the second half of the table.
Courtois’ return in December was hailed as a boon in the process of turning Jose’s fortunes around. However, he wasn’t the saviour Chelsea hoped for. Chelsea’s weak defence didn’t help Courtois and a goalkeeper who has just been back from a long-term injury wasn’t going to save Jose’s job. (Not everyone is Cech, right?)
After his return, Courtois was shaky and conceded some sloppy goals which was not expected from one of the best in the business. He was no more the dominating figure in the penalty box either, often struggling to hold on to the balls from corners and set pieces. The goalkeeper whom everyone had seen at Atletico Madrid and in Chelsea the previous year had just gone missing.
In the 23 appearances he made in the league in the 2015-16 season, he managed just 5 clean sheets, incredibly low for a goalkeeper of his talent. Courtois is not known for his distribution skills, and him being successful in less than half of the long passes he had made did not help his cause.
The incoming caretaker manager often preferred Asmir Begovic on goal, and Courtois who had displaced the mighty Cech from Chelsea struggled to cement a position in Hiddink’s starting eleven. Sure, Chelsea’s defence wasn’t at its best, but one would expect more from a goalkeeper trying to establish himself as the best in the world.
The past season wasn’t one Courtois would have hoped for. With the Euro Cup calling and without his best form, he would want to prove his critics wrong by helping Belgium to do well in the Championship.
The Euro Cup would also be a litmus test for Courtois . The incoming Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte who would be keeping a close eye on him and decide whether to keep him on the roster next season or sell him if given the right price.
Real Madrid are keen on getting the Belgian after missing out on De Gea last season, and a big money move could well be on the cards if Chelsea decide to sacrifice their star goalkeeper for improvements in their defence.
The past season does not, however, mean Courtois doesn’t possess the skills and temperament to become the best. He had been instrumental in Atletico’s rise under Diego Simeone in the past and Chelsea regaining the Premier League title after 5 years.
They say goalkeepers are only as good as the defence in front of them. With more stability in the defence next season and with a little confidence which he lacked last season, Thibaut Courtois has everything that will make him rise to his past glory.
