Chelsea player previews: Thibaut Courtois looking to prove he belongs
By Vishnu Raj
Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois will be determined to show the world why he is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the game at the moment.
2016-17 was a season of redemption for Thibaut Courtois. Like most of his teammates, he too had a forgettable campaign in the previous term that was marred with injuries and poor form. He bounced back brilliantly last season as Chelsea won the Premier League title. There was a personal achievement for him as well as he won his first Golden Glove award for keeping the most clean-sheets in the Premier League.
Courtois had many memorable matches last season. He made some crucial match winning saves along the way. The most significant being the last-minute save from Patrick Van Aanholt against Sunderland away.
The highlight of the campaign was the 6-match streak without conceding. It was at the start of Chelsea’s 13-match winning streak that propelled them to the top of the table. Courtois like most of the playing eleven was ever-present in the team during that run.
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However, there was a 9-match run without a single clean-sheet in the latter half of the season. That will be something he would want to avoid this time. It was during that period that Hugo Lloris closed in on the race for the Golden Glove.
He is one of the best in the world. As a result there are clubs around Europe who would love to pry him away. Earlier in his Chelsea career he used to speak about Spanish football and wanting to return to Spain. But that tendency seems to have gone. He has since spoken about his happiness at Chelsea and his desire to extend his contract.
He is one among the set of players who have won the Premier League twice. As such he knows how the season should be approached. He claims that he is ready and confident that his colleagues will also be primed to continue the recent success. Chelsea fans will be hopeful to see more match winning performances from him in this season.
Courtois will be determined to prove why he is one of the best in the world. Anyone can have a good season, but only top players can do it consistently. With Chelsea challenging on four fronts there will be plenty of opportunities for him to show his importance to the team. Furthermore, a good campaign will help his confidence heading into the next summer’s World Cup.
Next: Chelsea player previews: Eden Hazard’s 2017/18 has unusual uncertainty
How do you think Courtois will fare this term? Will he finally establish himself as one of the game’s finest between the posts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!