There have been enough articles about the effect that Petr Cech has had on the Arsenal team since his arrival from Chelsea, and he could be the main reason that the Gunners are favourites to beat his old team this afternoon. But people can’t stop talking about him, and the latest praise comes from our very own Thierry Henry, who believes that Cech can be the main reason that Arsenal can win the title.
“He is the difference,” Henry said. “We always talk about goal-scorers, the guy that can provide assists, guys who are good at the back – but you need an amazing goalkeeper if you want to win the title and Petr Cech, what he’s doing at the moment is absolutely amazing.
“What he did against Stoke City, he actually kept them at bay and they couldn’t find a way to score.
“He has been amazing, and let’s all remember how it all started, that West Ham game, people had a go at him. He’s showing that he is still one of the greatest.
“It is kind of weird when you see him wearing the Arsenal shirt. I’m happy about it.
“He could have stayed at Chelsea and maybe played and enjoyed his time because he played for Chelsea for a very long time.”
Arsene Wenger has also been talking about Petr, and he explained how important Cech is and how he simply could not turn down the chance to take him from Chelsea. “He has a calming presence, he communicates well, anticipates well, sees what is coming,” Wenger said on the official Arsenal site. “He is a kind of coach. The best position to be a coach is the goalkeeper because he doesn’t move, and he sees everything. He is the camera behind the team.
“[When he signed] I didn’t know what kind of shape he was in physically because he hadn’t played. When I met him I was quickly reassured of his desire to do well and his motivation. I didn’t know how much he could still produce physically.
“He hadn’t played and was battling a drop in physical aptitude but I knew the potential was exceptional having played against him for 11 years in the Premier League. It was a question of physically, can he still do it?
“It was a very, very difficult decision for me because I rate Ospina highly. He is a keeper who is underrated, especially in England. But signing Cech was maybe one of the few opportunities to say, ‘Okay, this is an obvious transfer’. It was more to say, ‘If I don’t do this, it would be a mistake’.”
Well I can’t see why it would have been a difficult decision! We had Szczesny and Ospina, and no matter how good the Colombian keeper is, there is no way he could be compared to an all-time great like Petr Cech.
Can you imagine if he didn’t sign him? We would have had ZERO arrivals all summer!