http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2094263,00.html
Cech remains upbeat despite season of woe By Jamie Jackson
Sunday June 3, 2007
A testing season for Petr Cech finally ended yesterday with another clean
sheet, but a disappointing goalless draw at the Millennium Stadium, a
venue he has become familiar with since his move to Chelsea in the summer
of 2004.
Of his four club appearances in Cardiff, Cech lost one Community Shield
final but won the important games - the finals of the 2005 and this
season's Carling Cup. That second triumph - 2-1 against Arsenal in
February - was particularly sweet for the 25-year-old as it came just a
month after his comeback from the horrific head injury he suffered on 14
October when he collided with Reading's Stephen Hunt.
'My best personal memory of this year is when I could play again,' Cech
says. 'I was just so pleased to be back on the pitch. The Carling Cup
final was great for the club and as it was quite early after I returned I
was really happy to be involved.'
Cech, who was born in Plzen, a city about 60 miles from Prague, has been a
supreme performer since Chelsea bought him from Rennes for ￡7 million in
2004, after former manager Claudio Ranieri had persuaded him to join that
January.
So, although there were serious doubts about his full recovery from the
head injury, it was still taken for granted that on returning he would
slip seamlessly back into form. Did that pressure bother him?
'It was difficult,' he says, 'but I was only thinking about coming back,
which was a huge effort. The injury was one of the worst moments because
there were many questions over how long it would take. It was very hard
when I was told not to be disappointed if I did not play again this
season. There were a lot of things going through my mind. But I took it as
a big challenge and in the end I came through quite quickly and was happy
to be involved in the last part of the season.'
Did he ever consider quitting because of the inherent danger involved in
goalkeeping? 'No, never.'
Is playing still fun? 'Yeah, it really is. Because if I didn't love this
game I would have finished probably when the injury happened. I had an
operation on my shoulder last summer as well and then two months later I
had this far more serious injury. But I love what I'm doing.'
Since returning on 20 January Cech has worn a protective skull cap. How
long will he need it? 'No one is sure. During the summer I will do some
medical tests, and I hope one day I can play without it.'
His summer break might have started yesterday, so little did he have to
do. He saw a shot from Jason Koumas hit the angle of post and bar, but was
otherwise untested in the Cardiff sunshine.
Cech's break into professional football came after he played in the
national under-16 team that came fourth in the 1999 European
Championships.
'That is probably my best football memory because the tournament was
played at home, and then I signed my first professional contract with
Blsany.'
Then, Chmel Blsany had just completed their first season in the top
division of Czech football. Cech describes Blsany as a village of 'about
400 inhabitants. And most of them are people who have weekend residences,
so the real population is more like 150. A former head of the Czech FA was
born there and he built a stadium for the club [founded in 1946]. They
started in division four [in 1988] and progressed.'
The stadium holds 3,500 and, Cech says, was filled on occasions. If these
crowd numbers contrast with, say, the 89,826 at Wembley last month that
watched Chelsea beat Manchester United to win the FA Cup, Big Pete - as he
is imaginatively called by Chelsea team-mates - says facilities at Blsany
were of Premiership standard.
'Next to the stadium is a hotel owned by the club that has eight or nine
pitches, an artificial pitch, a sauna and swimming pool - all the best
quality. Blsany in the middle of nowhere so the hotel was used by teams in
pre-season. Not one player lived in the area. I drove in every morning for
training.'
Injuries were a recurring theme of Chelsea's season. John Terry suffered
with a back problem and his own blow to the head during the Carling Cup
victory. Michael Essien, Ashley Cole, Arjen Robben, Ricardo Carvalho, Joe
Cole and others were all missing at the wrong times. There was also, of
course, the running off-field spat between Jose Mourinho and Roman
Abramovich.
But Chelsea still won both domestic cups, finished Premiership runners-up,
and made the Champions League semi-finals. This, says Cech, offers
encouragement for next season's tilt at reclaiming the Premiership from
United and improving on the club's three European Cup semi-finals in the
past four years.
'It was quite incredible what we achieved despite injuries, but that's the
spirit at the club. The quarter-final victory in the Champions League at
Valencia, we played really well [Essien scored the winner in the closing
minutes]. And against Spurs, three-one down at half-time, we were
literally out of the FA Cup but we knew how to turn it around.'
One cup defeat lingers. 'We were so disappointed after the shootout at
Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final. That was definitely the
worst moment since I've been here because we were very close.' Liverpool
won the penalty showdown 4-1. Did he lie in bed that evening and ponder
what he might have done differently? 'Sometimes you do say, "If I went
this way I would've saved it." But after the game everyone can find 100
faults.'
Following a season with Blsany, Cech had a year at Sparta Prague and then
two more at Rennes. Yet he is still very young for a top-class keeper. How
long will he play? 'If I can perform at the top level, well you hear of
goalkeepers that continue until 39 or 40. I just hope I will do the same.'
--
But you saved me! As difficult and as frustrating as it's been sometimes,
your goddamn strict rationalism and science have saved me a thousand times
over! You've kept me honest, made me a whole person. I owe you everything,
Scully, and you owe me nothing. I don't know if I wanna do this alone...
I don't even know if I can... and if I quit now, they win.
- Fox Mulder
--
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※ 編輯: JamesCaesar 來自: 220.129.120.250 (06/03 15:11)