That was certainly the wish of most Chelsea supporters and players throughout Mourinho’s first stint as manager. Cech can still vividly recall the moment that he heard Mourinho would be leaving back in September 2007. Equally, some 2,084 days on, he did not allow himself to believe that Mourinho would be reappointed until there was official confirmation on the Chelsea website.
“Nobody could really see it coming when he left,” says Cech. “Everybody was sad. When you break something which was working you never know what to expect. I only have great memories working with him. I am glad that we can do it again together. I hope that we can reproduce it now and even push it forward.”
It has been to the credit of players like Cech that the managerial turbulence at Chelsea has not stemmed the flow of silverware.
The question lingers, however, of what more might have been achieved if Mourinho had stayed. “You can’t look back, no one will get anything from the past,” says Cech. “Once a manager’s left, he’s left. That is one of the strengths of the team, of the club, even in difficult times, we always find a way to get out of it.
“You can’t change 10 players in October. If you need to do something to really change, then obviously the manager is under main threat. This is what happens and in that moment everything changes for you as a player. You have to forget about everything and start looking at yourself to say, ‘OK, am I working well enough to be in the team?’?”
Does he feel guilt when a manager leaves? “Not guilty, I feel the responsibility,” says Cech. “You can argue all day if it is better to have one manager and no trophy or 10 managers and 10 trophies.
“This is the way it goes in our club, we seem to get the success we wish although there are other ways to do it. The winning mentality, the never give up mentality is always there.”
That mindset was first installed by Mourinho and, according to Cech, it was also his preparation that set him apart. “I think it’s the mentality, the wording and detail he puts in everything,” says Cech. “He’s one of the managers who would rather lose than draw. He’s all about winning in the right way. That means you are tactically prepared and use the weapons to kill your opponent. I think Jose Mourinho will always make you see what he wants you to see.
“He understands people are different. No matter if you played one or 10 games under him, you really feel a part of the team. He is very demanding so everyone really is on top of your game whether you play or don’t play.”
Mourinho’s second coming, however, is but one explanation for the nervous excitement that has been swirling all week in the pit of Cech’s stomach.
Ahead of the return to pre-season training on Monday, Cech will end his summer break by playing the drums for the rock band Eddie Stoilow at a music festival in Prague that will be attended by 30,000 people. During this past week, band practice has been combined with the eighth annual running of his soccer schools, which provide coaching for up to 160 children from all over the world, including Korea, California, the UK and South Africa, inside the vast 220,000-capacity Strahov Stadium.
Cech’s passion for helping young people is obvious in the way he effortlessly interacts with his awestruck pupils. He approaches his music with a similar diligence.
“Whenever I go to a concert, I try to stand somewhere where I can see the drummer and watch him,” he says. “Friday’s concert will be nerve-wracking. The most I’ve played to is about 2,000 people. If the drummer goes wrong in a band, the whole thing falls apart.”
It is, of course, similar for a goalkeeper and Cech knows that his past brilliance will have no bearing on Mourinho’s decisions next season.
“He picks what he thinks is the best team no matter what your name is,” he says. “It is up to me to show him he will find a better keeper than before. I do not think he will pick me because I played well in 2004 and 2005. It does not count.”
He adds: “In the last two years we had a lot of changes. Those players now have the experience of winning the Europa League, FA Cup, Champions League. They have the same hunger to repeat winning the titles and they have still the same quality. Now we’ve got a manager who’s won it all in a variety of clubs. Our ambition is always the same: to try to win everything.”
Petr Cech runs his academy for children aged 7 to 15 in Prague every summer. For more information go to www.academy.petr-cech.com
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