Top Trumps: Chelsea’s number one battle decided by a single point
Published:It seems Jose Mourinho has got himself into a bit of a pickle over his goalkeeping situation this season.
Refusing to sell either Petr Cech or Thibaut Courtois means the two will battle it out to be the 15/8 Premier League favourite’s number one this term.
It’s a tough choice. So tough in fact that we’ve had to use the Top Trumps method to decide:
Shot Stopping: Cech 7 / Courtois 9
Courtois’ whole reputation has been built on his ability to keep the opposition at bay in athletic fashion.
The youngster made 60 saves for Atletico last season, keeping 20 clean sheets in the process, while Cech made 52 stops and remained unbeaten in 16 games.
Aerial Prowess: Cech 8 / Courtois 7
While he may be a better shot stopper, the Belgian pretender to Chelsea’s throne has to bow to his new teammate when it comes to dealing with crosses, which are common place in the Premier League.
Cech has a claim success rate of 95 per cent, which betters Courtois’ 91, while the Czech international successfully punches 26 per cent of the time compared to the 22-year-old’s measly mark of 11.
Gimmicks: Cech 6 / Courtois 8
Cech may have had his trademark skull cap for longer, but it’s not really a fad that has caught on.
You never see any fans donning celebratory Cech hats in the crowd at Chelsea games, yet Courtois has his own Tumblr page dedicated to “Thibauting”; a site that encourages fans to recreate the Belgian’s awesome saves.
Honours: Cech 9 / Courtois 7
Having had a longer-spanning career than his new rival, Cech wins this contest quite easily. Three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cup trophies makes quite a collection before you add the Champions and Europa League titles to the cabinet.
Despite having a relatively embryonic career in comparison, Courtois’ haul of a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Europa League winner’s medal is still mightily impressive.
Total: Cech 30/40 – Courtois 31/40
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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