Petr Cech has sent a warning to Chelsea players of the huge test a team under new management can pose ahead of this weekend’s game against Manchester United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked at Old Trafford last Sunday – less than 24 hours after United’s humiliating 4-1 defeat to Watford.
Michael Carrick has been tasked with leading the club on a temporary basis, while they are set to appoint Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of the campaign.
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Carrick’s first game in charge ended in a 2-0 win away at Villarreal in midweek as the Red devils booked their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea face United on Sunday, and the club’s legend Cech feels a club with more motivation and confidence may turn up at Stamford Bridge.
‘We have a saying in Czech: ‘the new broom sweeps better’,’ wrote the club’s technical and performance advisor Cech in his column for Chelsea’s website.
‘It’s always tricky when you play teams with a new manager. That’s what our next opponents Manchester United will be hoping for on Sunday: when you get a change of manager, you always have a reaction.
‘Suddenly, everybody starts from the same spot again. The new manager brings new ideas, about the team, about the tactics, about the strategy, but only when he gets involved in training does he start choosing his team. Even if it’s only the manager who has left, and everyone else has stayed in place, you still get the sense of a fresh start.
‘For players who maybe haven’t played as many games, they suddenly feel like this is their opening, their chance to get in the team. For players who have been playing, they know if they don’t have a good week, the manager might pick someone else. It gives everybody a new incentive and new motivation to perform well. There is a change in energy, and this is what creates difficulty for the team who is facing them.
‘In the Premier League, you know your opponents well, what kind of team it is and what players are there. So, while tactically you can also expect some differences – because every coach has his own idea of how to approach a game – because of the team they have, you know more or less what to expect.
‘You can always get surprised, of course, but the main part is about you: your game, your preparation and what you do on the pitch. If you dominate and control the game, you don’t have to really worry about the other team.
‘The only worry is you might find a team who is more motivated, and gets a bit more confidence at the beginning. Otherwise it’s up to you how well you play, how well you adapt and how well you control the game. If you do that, it doesn’t matter who the opposition is. Just look at the Juve game.’
