Peter Cech no longer a great?

Peter Cech, once considered one of the brightest goalie prospects in Europe can no longer considered being a great. Chelsea truly a top ten European Club, have to ask themselves if Cech is still a viable number one goalie. Yes, Cech was fantastic two years ago, but since his injury he has not been able to reproduce his stellar play. Some of you might say I am cruel, an injury like the one Cech received needs time. Yes, a fractured skull is a terrible injury, and that Cech is playing again is a miracle in itself. Since the goalies return from injury, he has not been the same.

Today's game against Liverpool was just another example. How often can a goalie be scored at 4 times in a viable Champions League match, and the team still walk away as victors? The only reason Chelsea advanced on Tuesday is that their goalie was even worse. Cech was the only reason Liverpool had a chance to advance, the fact that Liverpool failed can be pinpointed down at their own goalie Jose Manuel Reina, whose play was truly catastrophic.

The question for Chelsea now is what to do with a goalie who lacks the convidence of a number one starter? Do you sell a player who fractured its skull came back? Do you bench him? The fact is that Chelsea want to win trophies, and that trophies are won by fantastic goaltenders. When was the last time a team won the Champions League without a great goalie. The goalie is the cornerstone of every teams defence, the rock that can make the difference between win and defeat. Chech is no longer that goalie!

The thing that Chelsea needs to do now is to wait until Chech's contract runs out, thank him for his services for the club, tell the fans that they could not meet the goalies financial demands, and bring in a goalie who can win games. The other option is to sell him to Barcelona who have been interested in his services for a while.

A possible replacement would be the German Robert Enke, who is dissatisfied with his club Hannover 96, which have no chance for any major titles. Another possibility would by Gianluigi Buffon, however he has been in injury troubles. Without a doubt Chelsea will be looking for a new goaltender very soon.