Petr Cech is set to return for the first time to the scene of so many of his triumphs when he played for Chelsea, but right now all that history is forgotten and he just wants is to help win the game for Arsenal this time around. The Czech international has kept three clean sheets in a row for the Gunners, while Chelsea are suffering while conceding 12 goals so far – more than any other team in the Premier League.
This augurs well for next weekend and Petr is keen to keep his record going. Cech said: “I have never played at Stamford Bridge in the visiting team so it will be a new experience for me.
“I go to a familiar place but most important for me will be to win the game. That’s the way it goes.
“In a way it is nice that I spent so much time there. That I know every corner of the stadium and the space, so for me there will be no surprises.
“Obviously it will be new to play against Chelsea but when you start playing the game the only concern you have is ‘can I play my best game and can we win?’”
And we can! One thing in Petr’s favour is that he is used to being on the winning side at Stamford Bridge, and if both sides play to current form he can certainly do that again!
Cech is well aware that his Arsenal career did not get off to the best of starts, but he has given us a glimpse of his philosophy of picking yourself up and improving in the next match. “I think if you spill the milk or coffee in your kitchen you don’t just let it lay there, you wipe it off and clean it,” he said on Arsenal.com. “It is the same thing when you do something wrong, you just take the first opportunity to make this right and correct it.
“This is the only way. When you know the world well, you are prepared and if a bad game happens it is probably part of football and you need to understand that.
“I had a great pre-season, I was feeling well going into the game, excited to play my first home game. Then obviously the game did not go according to plan for everybody, particularly me.
“But we recovered from there and it was good to see the reaction of the team because it was a big blow as we had wanted to start on a winning note.”
And having that attitude is why he has won four Premier League trophies with Chelsea. Now it is time for him to win his fifth with Arsenal!