Chelsea FC manager Jos Mourinho has again expressed his delight at having an option of the quality of Asmir Begovi to call upon, and has insisted that former no.1 Petr A?ech is not missed.
Bosnia & Herzegovina international Asmir Begovi made his Premier League debut for Chelsea FC on Saturday in somewhat undesirable circumstances – replacing Belgian Thibaut Courtois in the second half after the 23-year-old was sent off for a foul on Swansea City striker Baf timbi Gomis.
The former Stoke City keeper had an impressive cameo, and manager Jos Mourinho has expressed his delight once again at having secured the 28-year-old’s services. The Portuguese was also insistent that the club is not missing legendary keeper Petr A?ech, who has come in for criticism following Arsenal FC’s 2-0 home defeat to West Ham United.
. “We don’t miss Petr” – Jos Mourinho
The Chelsea FC manager reiterated his positive view of the club’s current goalkeeping situation, and explained the ‘problem’ behind Petr A?ech’s summer transfer to Arsenal FC. Mourinho is quoted by Sky Sports as saying: “We don’t miss Petr. We’ve got a good keeper, the problem with Petr is not that we miss him because we have two excellent keepers.
“The problem with Petr is that an opponent is better than before. Thibaut and Asmir are two fantastic keepers. My club did very well by getting a keeper on time and not on the August 31.
We don’t miss Petr Cech, says Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho: http://t.co/aWG4dXiyFC pic.twitter.com/WKEH5XHW3g
a Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) August 10, 2015
“If my club gives me a keeper on August 31, then we have a problem not just for today but also for the next match. Unless the people understand that it’s not a red card and they clear the suspension.”
The controversial red-card to Courtois now means that Begovi will make his first Premier League start for the club in the massive fixture against Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.
Chelsea FC decision to sign Begovi vindicated
Although some eyebrows were raised when Asmir Begovi made the decision to sign for Chelsea FC – a move that people saw as being damaging to his career given the Blues already had Thibaut Courtois – the very first game of the season has highlighted the need for a top team to have a quality back-up keeper.
Jos Mourinho has been vindicated in his decision to sign a keeper of the Bosnian’s quality, not only because of the incident against Swansea City, but also because of the knock-on effect a less able keeper could have on the defensive unit as a whole.
The likes of John Terry and Gary Cahill are, for instance, much more likely to feel secure playing ahead of Begovi than Rob Green or John Ruddy – names that were briefly linked with the Blues in the summer.
Asmir Begovi now has the opportunity to impress his manager, and Mourinho will not find it easy to drop the current no.2 should he have a match-winning performance at the Etihad. In either case, the Blues’ decision to spend around A?8 million on a back-up keeper already seems to be paying dividends.