5 Things We Can Take from the Premier League’s Opening Weekend
By Alex Mosey
5. Advantage Courtois.
None of this weekend’s Premier League team sheets will have attracted as much attention as that of Jose Mourinho’s, and all eyes, press and supporters alike, will have been drawn immediately to the man in between the posts.
As much as it is a dilemma most clubs are jealous of, the decision of starting Thibaut Courtois was pretty obvious in retrospect. After all, Courtois had started most of the recent pre-season friendlies, and a tricky away tie at Turf Moor to newly promoted Burnley provided a good chance for the young Belgian goalkeeper to prove his worth.
The early Burnley goal aside, which few goalkeepers would have come close to stopping, Thibaut was as reliable as his Czech counterpart. One could argue even more so when it came to marking the penalty area as his own territory, as he plucked balls out of the air from corners and crosses almost at will. Courtois’ shot stopping ability was also demonstrated as he denied Scott Arfield a second goal early in the second half.