SM
Man City vs. Arsenal: 7 hrs 48 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
CL
Pre-season Friendlies
Aug 12, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
RS

2-0

Costa (2', 7')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Jose Mourinho explains Thibaut Courtois inclusion

:Headline: Jose Mourinho explains Thibaut Courtois inclusion: ID:170898: from db_amp
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois only played the full 90 minutes against Real Sociedad to improve his match sharpness.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois's inclusion against Real Sociedad doesn't mean that he will start against Burnley on Monday night.

Courtois played the full 90 minutes against the Spanish side with Petr Cech being left on the bench, but Mourinho has claimed that his decision was based on giving the Belgian stopper a chance to improve his match sharpness after missing the majority of pre-season.

The 51-year-old told the club's official website: "I played Thibaut for 90 minutes because he was injured and didn't play last weekend.

"Petr played two matches in Turkey and the first half against Ferencvaros. Since he arrived, Courtois has only played 45 minutes against Werder Bremen. He needs to play.

"The fact that Courtois played 90 minutes wasn't me saying that he's first choice for Monday, it's because he didn't play the last three matches. The players don't know who is first choice yet. When will I tell them? On Sunday."

Cech has made 470 appearances for Chelsea since signing for the club in 2004, while Courtois has recently returned to Stamford Bridge after three years on loan with Atletico Madrid.

amp_article__170898 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2014-08-13 16:41:40:
html db last update - 2014-08-13 16:41:40 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Jose Mourinho

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool5401101912
2Manchester CityMan City4400113812
3Aston Villa5401107312
4Chelsea5311115610
5Arsenal431061510
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle531176110
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton42206248
8Fulham52217528
9Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest42204228
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs52129547
11Manchester UnitedMan Utd52125507
12Brentford520379-26
13Bournemouth512258-35
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham511359-44
15Leicester CityLeicester503268-23
16Crystal Palace503247-33
17Ipswich TownIpswich503238-53
18Southampton501429-71
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves5014514-91
20Everton5014514-91
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .