When
Asmir Begovic eventually landed his dream move from Stoke City to
Chelsea in the summer, he couldn’t have envisaged returning to the
Britannia Stadium with his new club below his old one in the table and
seemingly in turmoil.
As
he views the familiar surroundings around him ahead of Tuesday night’s
Capital One Cup tie, Begovic wouldn’t be human if he didn’t wonder why
everything has gone so badly for him since leaving the Potteries.
Begovic,
28, is regarded as one of the game’s good guys and somebody who plotted
his career properly rather than chasing the quick buck.
Asmir Begovic looks dejected as he leaves the pitch
following Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Saturday
Begovic is beaten by Andy Carroll's second-half header,
which proved to be the winner
He
grew up in Canada where his family fled to escape the civil war in
their native Bosnia. Portsmouth were the first English club to spot his
potential and when it became clear he was Premier League standard, he
chose Stoke City ahead of Spurs because it offered a quicker route into
the first team.
At
Stoke, he excelled. A 6ft 4in tall, commanding in the air and an
excellent shot-stopper and presence in the penalty area, he was
regularly linked with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool and
Manchester City, before finally joining Chelsea in an £8.5million deal
last summer with just a year left on his contract at The Britannia.
Since
then, it’s been a disaster. Injury to Thibaut Courtois catapulted
Begovic into the first team where he has been completely unable to stop
Chelsea’s disastrous results.
Five
of Begovic’s 12 games for the champions have ended in defeat and he has
kept just one clean sheet away from Stamford Bridge, a turgid goalless
draw in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev.
This
is no better than how he did last season for a supposedly inferior
team, Stoke. He lost five out of his first 11 matches for them last
season.
Begovic pulls off a save playing for Yeovil in 2008 - one of
five clubs he played for on loan from Portsmouth
You
could consider Begovic has come into a team beset by so many problems
under Jose Mourinho. Or, if you were being harsh, you may accuse him of
failing to settle down a defence that has looked wobbly as the manager
has interchanged John Terry, Kurt Zouma, Gary Cahill and Branislav
Ivanovic to find the winning formula.
The
one question-mark against Begovic used to be his kicking. It is why
Liverpool eventually baulked at paying £15m for him and went for the
cheaper option, Simon Mignolet, instead.
But
other mistakes have been creeping into his game this season as well. It
has seemed to go wrong from his very first match for Chelsea when he
conceded four goals in one half during a pre-season friendly against New
York Red Bulls.
Begovic
has always been good in front of the microphone and he is quick to give
assurances that there is no panic at Stamford Bridge at the moment.
Begovic - seen here playing for Portsmouth in January
2010 - spent five-and-half years in the Potteries
‘It's
coming from all corners at the moment so we have to cope with that,’ is
his assessment following the team’s latest setback at West Ham on
Saturday when he was beaten by Andy Carroll’s late header in a 2-1
defeat.
‘I think our performance showed we are still positive and trying hard, it's just that little moments are not going our way.’
Begovic
was a popular figure at Stoke, choosing to live nearby in the
Staffordshire countryside with wife Nicolle rather than move to the more
obvious footballers’ properties in Cheshire.
He
may be applauded warmly on his return but they won’t be slow in
reminding him the grass is not always greener. After all, Begovic made
it clear he wasn’t going to race into signing a new contract at Stoke.
Begovic clears his lines playing for Stoke against Chelsea
in the Premier League last season
The
home manager Mark Hughes seems happy to have young England
international Jack Butland between the sticks now rather than Begovic.
Begovic
would have replaced Joe Hart at Manchester City had Roberto Mancini
stayed on at the club, he was considered that highly two years ago.
Now,
when Courtois recovers from a knee injury, there is no doubt Begovic
will be back on the bench. He hasn’t done enough to show he is a No 1
Champions League goalkeeper.
It would be wrong to blame Begovic for Chelsea’s collapse this season, but neither has he been good enough to help.
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