Thibaut Courtois or Petr Cech?
It’s a nice problem to have, getting to choose between two excellent goalkeepers. But the Belgian hardly returned from a deeply successful three-year loan spell with Atletico Madrid so that he could sit on the Chelsea bench. It will be hard to relegate Cech to a substitute’s role and at 32, he’s still got plenty to offer.
With Mourinho intent on allowing both stake their claim, he may genuinely consider rotation. However, such a compromise still won’t sit well with Cech, the club’s undisputed first-choice for a decade. The rumours are that Cech feels Courtois is the likely number-one for the new season and that should Mourinho opt for the 22 year-old, he’ll seek a move elsewhere.
Maybe the smart move for Mourinho is to select Cech as his goalkeeper for the first few weeks of the season, claim Courtois is being eased in after a busy World Cup and he’ll get to keep the veteran for another campaign.
It’s inevitable that Courtois will be Chelsea’s first-choice but Mourinho is a pragmatist and will simply want the best squad at his disposal. Getting Cech to stick around, no matter how sly or cunning the tactics, will be his objective.
But, nonetheless, seeing a goalkeeper as good as Cech having to play back-up would be immensely uncomfortable.
Can Diego Costa deal with the early pressure?
Ahead of the new season, Jose Mourinho has been singing the praises of his new striker. He believes Costa is what Chelsea lacked last season – that imposing, powerful and intelligent presence up front. With Cesc Fabregas arriving to bolster the team’s midfield, there’s a hope that the pair can get close to the incredible figures enjoyed by Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard in 2010 – the last time Chelsea won a Premier League title. On that occasion, the attacker scored 29 top-flight goals, with Lampard contributing 22.
If Costa and Fabregas can get close to those numbers, it greatly reduces the burden on Eden Hazard – who showed the signs of a draining season at the World Cup. With Oscar and Andre Schurrle close to double-figures last term and Willian offering up some goals too, there appears little to worry about from an attacking perspective. Perhaps Costa’s end-of-season injury nightmare may be cause for concern, especially given his immediate replacements are 36 year-old Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres – who Mourinho can’t find a buyer for.
But, Diego Costa is the headliner and should he get off to an impressive start this evening, Premier League defences will surely cower en masse in anticipation of facing him.
Can the hosts take inspiration from August 2009?
When Burnley were last in the Premier League, they were sitting in the top-ten after thirteen games. They were helped by some eye-catching home form that began on an August night against high-profile opposition.
Manchester United were the visitors to Turf Moor and Robbie Blake’s superb volley proved the difference between the sides. They tacked on another four wins and two draws from their next eleven games. From the seventeen points they picked up from their first thirteen fixtures, sixteen came on home soil.
They will hope the home crowd can drive them to success tonight and will look to Danny Ings to get them something. Boss Sean Dyche, dubbed ‘the ginger Mourinho’ because of how he masterminded the club’s return to the top-flight when they had been tipped for demotion to the third tier of English football, has brought in a couple of experienced pros like Steven Reid and Matty Taylor. While Michael Kightly has his moments when at Wolves two years ago – form that saw him snapped up by Stoke. Last season, he went on loan to Burnley and impressed, making the move permanent in the summer.
It’s a tough ask but so was that win over United five years ago.
