I think he needs to work on his distribution and command. Once he progresses in those areas, I could see him becoming a top 3 keeper. He's still young, I wouldn't be upset if we could lock in his extension. World class keepers are hard to come by and any replacement would not have the same blend of youth and experience, which I think is a step back for us.

11 hours ago, Moreota9 said:

I think he needs to work on his distribution and command. Once he progresses in those areas, I could see him becoming a top 3 keeper. He's still young, I wouldn't be upset if we could lock in his extension. World class keepers are hard to come by and any replacement would not have the same blend of youth and experience, which I think is a step back for us.

The thing that annoys me with his distribution is he’s always so slow throwing it out when we have good opportunities to counter. 

When he’s told to play the ball out to the defence there’s not much else he can do in terms of distribution. Aiming a long ball to Alonso on the wing doesn’t seem to work and becomes predictable. We don’t really have an option to play it long.

My dad always use to say Cech would constantly lumped the ball up to Drogba but I don’t think we appreciated that outlet while we had it. I’d always bet on Didier to win the ball and keep it! 

In regards to his command, I don’t think I ever hear him shouting while I’m at a match but I could also just about hear Cech over the crowd. Thibaut doesn’t seem to have that in him. 

18 hours ago, Munkworth said:

The thing that annoys me with his distribution is he’s always so slow throwing it out when we have good opportunities to counter. 

When he’s told to play the ball out to the defence there’s not much else he can do in terms of distribution. Aiming a long ball to Alonso on the wing doesn’t seem to work and becomes predictable. We don’t really have an option to play it long.

My dad always use to say Cech would constantly lumped the ball up to Drogba but I don’t think we appreciated that outlet while we had it. I’d always bet on Didier to win the ball and keep it! 

In regards to his command, I don’t think I ever hear him shouting while I’m at a match but I could also just about hear Cech over the crowd. Thibaut doesn’t seem to have that in him. 

Strange, i seem to remember Cech being poor at comanding his box. Certainly when it came to crosses. As for distribution the vast majority of his goal kicks would end up n the crowd.

Cech would put his goal kicks on Drogbas chest most of the time.

3 minutes ago, Stim said:

Cech would put his goal kicks on Drogbas chest most of the time.

And the last few years when Drogs wasn't here or on the bench it was straight into the fans.

Yeah, I actually recall Cech's goal kicks getting really bad in the latter stages of his career here. 

3 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Strange, i seem to remember Cech being poor at comanding his box. Certainly when it came to crosses. As for distribution the vast majority of his goal kicks would end up n the crowd.

I could always hear him shouting orders. Whether they were any good or anybody listened is another question!

Big Willy was very vocal yesterday too. 

2 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

And the last few years when Drogs wasn't here or on the bench it was straight into the fans.

He had to Drogba to aim for, old habits...

Some harsh criticisms on Thibaut, the 5 goals he conceded in the past 2 games all highlighted other problems in the team. He's pulled off many amazing saves and kept us in a lot of games.

And some revisionized history on Cech as well. Both are good keepers with different strengths but to knock on a keeper's distribution, really? 

De Gea let in 2 goals against Huddersfield too, it's his fault then?

4 hours ago, Slojo said:

Yeah, I actually recall Cech's goal kicks getting really bad in the latter stages of his career here. 

Yeah, it was the big part of his game that declined in the last few seasons for us.

Courtois having a quietly, but brilliant season. 

1 hour ago, Theafonis said:

Courtois having a quietly, but brilliant season. 

Really? I think he's been ok, but nothing special. He's not made many saves and looks a bit indecisive when it comes to commanding his area. He was fine today but overall, I don't think he has done anything spectacular.

6 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

Really? I think he's been ok, but nothing special. He's not made many saves and looks a bit indecisive when it comes to commanding his area. He was fine today but overall, I don't think he has done anything spectacular.

He doesn't make many top draw saves because he doesn't need too, his positioning is so good he makes saves most keepers would have to stretch themselves to save look easy.

13 hours ago, Argo said:

He doesn't make many top draw saves because he doesn't need too, his positioning is so good he makes saves most keepers would have to stretch themselves to save look easy.

Very true. The reason most of De Gea's saves look so special is because he was in a poor position to begin with.

On 23-10-2017 at 22:29, Krc-fan said:

The 5 Roma and Watford goals showed me some other Chelsea problems, Barry Bridges.

... and once again, yesterday.

3 hours ago, Krc-fan said:

... and once again, yesterday.

I didn't watch the full game yesterday because of a work party but when i saw the extended highlights it looks like he prevented it from being even worse, just like he did at home.

I've never seen a world class goalkeeper conceding so much "great goals". I mean... can you compare the number of spectacular goals that Thibaut lets to De Gea's, Buffon's or Neuer's? Ofc you cant.. this man just doesn't know how to stand to prevent shots from long distance. Period. I don't see Charlie Adam scoring vs De Gea from 65 yards or Jordan Henderson or Dzeko or El Shaarawy. 

21 minutes ago, Pendergast said:

I've never seen a world class goalkeeper conceding so much "great goals". I mean... can you compare the number of spectacular goals that Thibaut lets to De Gea's, Buffon's or Neuer's? Ofc you cant.. this man just doesn't know how to stand to prevent shots from long distance. Period. I don't see Charlie Adam scoring vs De Gea from 65 yards or Jordan Henderson or Dzeko or El Shaarawy. 

Other than the third goal yesterday i can't think of a goal that he can have any blame in? I remember him pulling off a fantastic save later on in the game from a bullet header and a great save against Naingollan in the first leg. Please enlighten us as to what Tbo could have done for any of the other goals?

48 minutes ago, Pendergast said:

I've never seen a world class goalkeeper conceding so much "great goals". I mean... can you compare the number of spectacular goals that Thibaut lets to De Gea's, Buffon's or Neuer's? Ofc you cant.. this man just doesn't know how to stand to prevent shots from long distance. Period. I don't see Charlie Adam scoring vs De Gea from 65 yards or Jordan Henderson or Dzeko or El Shaarawy. 

I also don't see Courtois conceding from a corner like De Gea did, do you?

De Gea is better at this component too despite he is not that tall... so, yeah, no contest here. When he came back at the Bridge he was over the De Gea, now there are miles between them. 

On ?10?/?23?/?2017 at 14:29, Krc-fan said:

The 5 Roma and Watford goals showed me some other Chelsea problems, Barry Bridges.

Oh to be sure!!! I'm not trying to lay the issues with the squad at CT's feet, lord knows there's plenty enough currently to share around and still have enough for seconds...... I just feel that he hasn't been up to par for expectations this season .... admittedly, the expectations are very high considering we seem to place him in the top 3-5 GKs in the world..... but to me he has been far from that.

 

I believe someone tried to justify my perception of him as "well his positioning is so excellent he doesn't have to really make exceptional saves" and while that might be close to the truth, I think the statistics suggest that great positioning or not, he is letting in far too many goals to be rated so highly. I mean if he made absolutely zero fantastic saves I would be happy as long as we weren't conceding as many as we are.  It's the amount of goals going in versus what he stops that has me worried, and not the manner in which he makes those stops.  Here, some statistics courtesy of Whoscored.com

 

  In the past 10 BPL games TC has averaged 2.5 saves a game while averaging 1 goals conceded a game.  In the past 4 CL games he has averaged 3 saves a game and conceded 1.75 goals per game on average.  I admit I am no expert here, but that's nearly a goal for every 2 saves, spectacular or boring  saves aside, I feel that's not a ratio you'd find with other GK's rated as highly as CT.

Just for fun, because DDG is probably the best GK in the league, his stats for the identical amount of matches are, in the BPL, an average of 2.5 saves a game while averaging 0.4 goals conceded per game and, in the CL, an average of 3 saves per game while averaging  0.25 goals conceded per game.....

 

Is Chelsea where they are right now just becase of CT?  Of course not, but a GK of his caliber should, in my opinion, be keeping us in some of these games and not merely saving us blushes by preventing a 3-0 from being a 5-0..... rather making what should have been a 5-0 or 3-0, a 0-0.

 

I worry I might be too harsh in this criticism, but then I remember we are talking about a lad who is rated as one of the best in the world and has, in the past, lived up to that easily. It's the one position I think should most be rising to the occasion when the team is poor, not simply just reflecting that mediocre form.  Mind, if this was Begovic or some other "good" but not "world class" keeper, I wouldn't be leveling this criticism.  I feel Im simply holding him to the standards of where he thinks he belongs and where many of us claim he is.... or atleast was.

@Barry Bridges I don't think you're being harsh.  What i am about to say may be an unpopular opinion, but throughout most of Courtois time with us, i think that he has been a bit overrated. A lot of people say the goals he has conceded he could do nothing about, but top keepers are supposed to pull off these saves now and again, i rarely see Courtois pull off any of these saves or any save that any average keeper wouldn't make. If i'm being brutally honest, i have seen Courtois make less top saves than many of the other top keepers around the world. I don't buy the excuse that he doesn't need to make top saves because of his positioning either. Cech was the best keeper i have seen with his positioning, but even he was called on to make world class saves that other keepers wouldn't be able to make, i don't see that often enough with Courtois, i don't see Courtois make enough saves at all really. He was praised for a bullet header save yesterday, but that is a save he should be making seeing as it was straight at him. Let's be honest, if he doesn't make that save, then it's a mistake.

If you're not going to make those worldie saves, then you at least need to be world class at other things, but i don't think he is. I don't think he commands his area any better than most keepers in the top leagues, he rarely comes out for the ball from a corner or freekick, more often than not he leaves it to the defenders. Sometimes it would be nice to see him take the pressure off the defence and take command of things. The saves he does make tends to be pushed out into in the danger area rather than to the side or over the bar (this is something i have said a fair few times now) I don't think he covers his near post that well either, he has been beaten a few times on the near post for us. I also think his distribution isn't anything to get excited about. His kicks up field are a bit aimless, he doesn't throw it out quick or that far, and his touch and passing look's awkward. Even charging off his line he isn't very good at. He has given away penalties, conceded goals and even got sent off doing this for us.

Don't get me wrong, i don't think he is a poor keeper, just not a world class one and i don't think he would be as irreplaceable as some think he would be if he was to leave.

 

If I'm overly critical of last nights game I would say that he might have saved the 3rd...however both the first and 3rd goal were wonder strikes, hit perfectly...sometimes that just happens; the 2nd goal was just a comedy of errors to which are becoming far too frequently lately.  What I am concerned about however is his distribution management which has become poor this year.  Many times he has played out from his box placing his team mates under immediate pressure or boots the ball into touch or just a high ball up field aimed at one player who is surrounded by opponents.  His sloppiness together, together with others in our defence, is causing much of what we are seeing on display.  

I just hope he and the rest of the team have got their act together by Sunday or its going to be a long cold winter

15 hours ago, Argo said:

I didn't watch the full game yesterday because of a work party but when i saw the extended highlights it looks like he prevented it from being even worse, just like he did at home.

Hope you had fun (at the party), Argo!

Well. I watched the game and I didn't recognized any Chelsea highlight at all. 

Eden tried, but he was all alone.

The team (?) Chelsea played football. Roma had some fun in a Halloween horror show.

 

 

 

14 hours ago, Pendergast said:

I've never seen a world class goalkeeper conceding so much "great goals". I mean... can you compare the number of spectacular goals that Thibaut lets to De Gea's, Buffon's or Neuer's? Ofc you cant.. this man just doesn't know how to stand to prevent shots from long distance. Period. I don't see Charlie Adam scoring vs De Gea from 65 yards or Jordan Henderson or Dzeko or El Shaarawy. 

Yes, I can.

14 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Other than the third goal yesterday i can't think of a goal that he can have any blame in? I remember him pulling off a fantastic save later on in the game from a bullet header and a great save against Naingollan in the first leg. Please enlighten us as to what Tbo could have done for any of the other goals?

Correct, RIP Mourinho.

Now, we have lost 3-0 but we could have a lot more in that freaky horror show.