Chelsea defy Cech expectations
Friday 28 January 2005
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Petr Cech has been a massive presence in the Chelsea goal (©Getty Images)
By Dan Brennan
It has been a shock to some that, having seemingly been assembled with such haste in the summer, José Mourinho's Chelsea FC have seized the advantage in the Premiership with such cool ferocity. Regular goalscorers at one end, their dreams of English and European glory have been buoyed by a steadfast defence and a brilliant young goalkeeper in Petr Cech.
'So far, so good'
Signed from French side Stade Rennais FC in the summer, the Czech international has been an instant hit at Stamford Bridge. "So far, so good," he told uefa.com. "When I moved from Rennes, I was afraid some people might think I was just coming in as third-choice keeper."
The fact that I didn't concede a goal on my debut was crucial for my confidence
Petr Cech
English problems
He added: "English fans don't tend to follow what goes on in other leagues, so they weren't really interested in my record at [AC] Sparta [Praha] or Rennes. It was all about what they saw for themselves. That meant there was a lot of pressure at the start, especially given that my first game was against Manchester United [FC]. The fact that I didn't concede a goal on my debut was crucial for my confidence."
Clean sheets
Clean sheets are nothing new to Cech - after all he managed to go 928 minutes without conceding a league goal at his first club, Sparta - but he insists that, regardless of his personal statistics, team results remain paramount. He said: "I'd always take a 5-3 win over a 0-0 draw. When I broke into the team at Sparta, my only concern was to get through the first minutes without conceding. And anyway, a clean sheet is only ever 20 per cent down to the keeper. The rest is about how well the team defends as a unit."
Defensive record
In Chelsea's case, the defensive unit has been impeccable this season, conceding eight goals in 24 Premiership games and just three in Europe. Moreover, as Cech was keen to point out, it is not as if Mourinho has been holding men back to shore up the Chelsea rearguard.
'It's bizarre'
"The lineup in defence rotates quite a lot and most of our defenders like to get forward," said Cech. "But then the whole team come back to help out in defence. But I still think it's bizarre that we've got such an impressive record in defence. You would expect us to be winning 5-3 more often."
Potential world-beater
That has not been the case so far, and much of that is down to the huge 23-year-old goalkeeper, who has the potential to become the best No1 in the world according to his team-mate Arjen Robben. Cech is shocked at that assertion. "Did he say that?" he said modestly "I take it as a compliment.
Room for improvement
"There are still so many things that I have to work on though," he added. "The Chelsea defence is helping me a lot. Actually, the fact that they are so good helps me learn to remain focused throughout the entire 90 minutes. I need to be on my toes waiting for a shot to come through the defence at any time."
'I'm learning'
If he can bring his English to the same level as his goalkeeping, the future looks bright. He said: "My English is not as good as my French but I’m learning. I've bought a CD with English lessons and I'm practising on my computer." He added: "You can always get what you want across by shouting." The English attitude to foreign languages seems to be rubbing off on Cech already.
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