Petr Cech - Player Profile: The Czech has reached the later stage of his career at this point. At 31 years old, Petr Cech has played for Chelsea since 2004, taking over that season for Carlo Cudicini when he had an elbow injury. Interestingly enough, at the time he first came to Chelsea, Jose Mourinho was also the manager. Cech has continued to be the first choice keeper since that season. His debut was on August 15, 2004. He was a fresh-faced 22-year-old and was set to face Manchester United, probably feeling a lot of pressure, but he was able to keep a clean sheet that game. That was the start of his unbelievably illustrious career. In another memorable game, he fractured his skull 5 minutes into the match after a collision with Stephen Hunt (John Terry went into goal for this match after Cudicini was injured as well). This took place on October 14, 2006 at Reading. Cech was out for 3 months before returning to training, but he has since then worn the protective helmet. Many wonder if he still actually needs the helmet, but it is sort of his trademark and maybe a bit of a talisman. Cech returned to action January 20, 2007 against Liverpool. Chelsea lost 2-0, but the return of Cech was undoubtedly celebrated. One of his best moments was the Champions League final of 2012, when Cech brought them to a victory over Bayern Munich in penalties. With the most pressure on the keepers, obviously, Cech kept a calm, cool head and made the club proud. Honors: With Chelsea, he has taken home the Premier League 3 times (2005, 2006, 2010). The Champions League was taken by Chelsea in 2012, in the penalty shootout mentioned above. Chelsea won the FA Cup in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, and the Europa League in 2013. Cech has played a tremendous role in each of those wins, for sure. Internationally, he has been the Czech Republic’s senior goalkeeper since 2002, competing at that Euro, 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008, and the Euro 2012. He first came about in the under-15 level, making his senior debut February of 2002. Although the Czech national team has never had influence similar to Spain or Italy, Cech surely stands out as one of the best keepers. He has been awarded many honors, of course. He was named to the All-Star Squad for the Euro 2004, has won UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year in 2005, 2007, 2008. He was named World’s Best Goalkeeper of 2005, very soon after debuting. He has won Czech Footballer of the Year 7 times, once in 2005, and then continuously from 2008-2013. Information: Petr Cech is on the taller side at 6 ft. 5 inches, or 1.96m, which is a great advantage to him. He weighs 90kg or 198lbs. He may not be captain but he has a commanding presence on the field and communicates readily with his teammates, especially helpful on set pieces. Although he pushes himself for every minute of each match, you can sense some nerves about getting very involved in tussles with opponents, perhaps from the head injury he previously sustained Currently: This season he has gone 16 games without conceding a goal, starting in 34 matches, which is about 47%. Pretty much, he averages one clean sheet per every two matches, which is the most impressive in the league. He has also made 81 saves this season so far. The 3-0 win against Southampton was Cech’s 208th clean sheet, coming equal to a previous club record set by Peter Bonetti, a well-respected goalkeeper that even Cech has lauded. The most impressive feat is that he took 252 less games than Bonetti to reach that record. Of course, he has since then passed that, reaching 217 with the last game against Swansea on April 13th. On April 22, Chelsea played Atletico Madrid in the first leg for the Champions League semifinal. Cech came down awkwardly and ended up dislocating his right shoulder. Obviously, he was reported to be out the rest of the season, being that only about a month remained. However, on April 29th he was seen training with his teammates for the second leg at home. He was asked if he was fit, and Cech reportedly answered “Of course”. However, it remains to be seen whether he is actually fit to the doctors’ requirements. Off paper, Cech is surely seen as fearless. The club and fans alike should be thankful for the very reliable goalkeeper they have in him. Obviously no keeper is perfect, but when a ball does find it’s way into his net, you may find that it is a beautiful shot that almost no keeper could stop. Barring blatant defensive errors, Cech does his best to keep the net clear. Cech is careful and has a broad vision that allows him to read the game well. He can almost see things before they happen. He is very trustworthy, and he is also very humble, even for being first choice keeper for almost 10 years. Wojciech Szczesny said of Cech, ““Age has this thing where you are not as consistent as an older goalkeeper. You look at Petr Cech and he has been amazingly consistent at Chelsea over the last four or five years, but at 25, 26 you don’t have that.” Experience as a keeper seems to come with age, unlike other positions, and Cech certainly has that. What’s next? Cech could have a few more years, actually. He is only 31, and generally keepers can play on longer. Other amazing goalkeepers that have been playing for longer or just as long include Victor Valdes (32), Gianluigi Buffon (36!), Iker Casillas (32) and Julio Cesar (34). However, there comes a problem in the form of the Belgian Thiabaut Courtouis, who has been a Blue player since 2011 on a 5 year deal. He has also since then been on loan to Atletico Madrid. As a 6’6” (1.98m) 21-year-old who has already been making a name for himself keeping Atleti’s net safe, he is under a bit of demand. Courtois wants a fair shot at the chance for Chelsea’s first choice keeper, but if he does not get it, he obviously would want to procure a permanent move to Atleti, which would be a huge loss to Chelsea in the later years as Cech ages. Courtois definitely does not want to play understudy to Cech, which makes sense as a blossoming young star. Although Cech has undoubtedly been brilliant his entire career, Courtois believes that the decision should be based on current form. Cech agrees himself. He has said of this issue, “If he comes back and hes better than me, credit to him, well done to him, but who knows? Im not afraid. Im not a fool to think Ive been here 10 years and Ill be here another five, just because. I am not playing because my name is Petr Cech. Im playing because Ive been playing well and because the manager thinks it improves the team with me in goal. Ive never had a manager who would just put me in the goal because everybody was used to seeing me there. The humble, hard-working Czech giant has been an integral part of the Chelsea framework for the past several years, and only time will tell what his next steps are. It can be said, however, no matter if he goes or stays, that Petr Cech will be remembered dearly. FArticles: FootballEnglish Premier League Categories: Petr CechChelseaczec republic
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:36:16 +0000
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