Analysis as Thibaut Courtois produces a shocker at the Camp Nou

Aditya Devavrat 08:06 15/03/2018
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  • Thibaut Courtois stood out for all the wrong reasons as Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League with a 3-0 loss to Barcelona in their round of 16 tie.

    The Chelsea keeper was at least partially at fault for Barca’s first two goals, and although there was nothing he could have done about the third, a nutmeg finish completed his humiliation.

    Here’s an in-depth look at the Belgian’s performance.

    KEY STATS

    Goals conceded – 3

    Saves – 4

    Shots on target faced – 7

    Long ball accuracy – 60%

    Pass accuracy – 72%

    30-SECOND REPORT

    Courtois’ status as Chelsea’s No1 is not in question, but every so often he throws in a performance which makes you wonder if they could do better. Wednesday was one of those occasions.

    The way he was beaten at his near post for Barcelona’s first goal was inexcusable. Messi was going away from goal, had to shoot from an impossibly tight angle, and with his weaker foot. Yes, it’s Messi, but there was no way that should have gone in. But Courtois couldn’t sort out his feet and thus let the ball in through his legs.

    He probably should have saved the second as well. Ousmane Dembele’s shot was fiercely struck, but it wasn’t heading for the top corner until it hit Courtois’ hand. Having gotten himself into the position to get his hand to the shot, Courtois will feel he should have saved it.

    He nearly produced another howler when he presented the ball straight to Luis Suarez. All in all, a poor performance.

    The Chelsea keeper is probably still wondering how this went in.

    The Chelsea keeper is probably still wondering how this went in.

    GOT RIGHT

    Distribution – Other than one moment where a poor clearance nearly led to a Barcelona goal, Courtois’ distribution was solid. Having Olivier Giroud up front helped, as the keeper kept knocking it long to beat the home side’s press, a tactic that allowed Chelsea to maintain possession.

    GOT WRONG

    Shot-stopping – Courtois probably should have stopped both of Barcelona’s first two goals. He somehow let the first squirm through his legs, and he couldn’t get a strong enough hand to Dembele’s shot for the second.

    Positioning – Evident especially on the first goal, where he dutifully took up his spot at the near post to cut off the angle. But getting your body shape right is part of good positioning, and Courtois instead got it all wrong.

    KEY MOMENTS

    3rd min, GOAL CONCEDED: This was an awful goal to concede for Courtois. At his near post, with the ball on Messi’s weaker foot and the tight angle favouring the keeper, somehow the shot went in through his legs.

    20th min, GOAL CONCEDED: Courtois will feel he should have done better here, as Ousmane Dembele’s finish was powerful but not quite precise. The keeper got a decent hand to the shot, and probably could have saved it.

    48th min, MISTAKE: Lazy play from Courtois as he passed it to no one in particular, and the ball fell to Luis Suarez. The keeper did well to make a save from there.

    63rd min, GOAL CONCEDED: Nutmegged again, although this time it really was done to the brilliance of Messi. A sublime finish that Courtois could do little about.

    79th min, SAVE: Having caught Courtois out twice already, Messi fancied his chances with a free-kick, but the Chelsea keeper was equal to the task and tipped it around the post.

    84th min, SAVE: Courtois finally showed why he’s rated as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, pulling off a stunning save to deny Paulinho’s header from a corner.

    Courtois failed to keep out a Dembele shot that he could have saved.

    Courtois failed to keep out a Dembele shot that he could have saved.

    VERDICT

    It’s performances like this that keep Courtois from being bracketed alongside players like Manuel Neuer, Gigi Buffon, David de Gea, and Marc-André Ter Stegen. It’s not that they don’t make mistakes, it’s that they almost never have games like this, where all the mistakes come in one go. The one thing Chelsea would have told themselves is, don’t concede an early goal. Instead, Courtois’ weak attempt to save a shot that even Messi shouldn’t have been scoring set the tone for the rest of the game – for Barcelona, for Chelsea, and for Courtois himself. A disastrous performance from the Belgium No1.

    RATING: 2/10

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