Cech believes his side is more formidable now than when Jose
Mourinho was in charge
Petr Cech believes Chelsea are stronger now than when
they were crowned Premier League champions two years ago. The Blues
must beat Newcastle tomorrow night in the penultimate match of the
campaign to prevent Manchester United from retaining their
title.
Cech believes his side is more formidable now than when Jose
Mourinho was in charge - even though they could end up conceding
the Premier League to Sir Alex Ferguson's side. 'I would say the
team is at least on the same level and maybe a little bit better
than two seasons ago,' he told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek.
'This is because this year has been tough as we started from
behind and had to chase United. 'That is difficult to do so the
quality we have shown is at least the same.' Cech has demanded
Chelsea keep up the pressure on United by prevailing at St James
Park and is confident his side have the resolve to take the title
race down to the wire.
'Last week was a great week as we beat United and reached the
Champions League final, which was a great achievement,' he said.
'We will do our best to keep our dream of winning the Premier
League alive at Newcastle. If we win then the last game will be
interesting.
'There is always a lot of pressure at Chelsea but we are used to
this and have to make sure we keep winning games. 'You can see we
have the same qualities as two years ago when we won the Premier
League. We can handle the pressure and maybe win every game.'
Cech is delighted for boss Avram Grant, whose position remains
under intense scrutiny despite guiding Chelsea to the Champions
League final. 'It was an emotional week for Avram because he was
under pressure,' Cech said. 'He must take great personal
satisfaction from this as this is the first time Chelsea have
reached the Champions League final.'
Cech has been pleased with his own form this season has not
suffered despite suffering a succession of injuries. 'It's not been
the best year for me because of injury but I'm still happy with the
way I've played so far,' he said. 'I've kept my standard despite
all the injuries and this is the most important thing for me. 'I've
missed a lot of games and you don't like doing this as a
professional.'