Petr Cech has demanded a ‘reaction’ from Chelsea stars ahead of their Premier League clash against Southampton on Saturday, after back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Juventus.
Chelsea, who went seven matches unbeaten in all competitions to start the campaign, now find themselves in a tricky run of form after the 1-0 losses to City in the Premier league and Juve in the Champions League.
After the defeat at the Allianz Stadium, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel labelled his team ‘tired’, ‘slow’ and ‘not good enough’ with the club failing to score for the second game in a row.
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Meanwhile, the former Blues goalkeeper, turned technical and performance advisor at the club, believes that the quick turnaround between the Juventus and Southampton matches will work in their favour.
‘This week we experienced two defeats which is something new for us, I have to say. It’s been a long time since the team had back-to-back defeats,’ Cech told Chelsea FC.
‘When you play for a big team, you always have this pressure on every result. The players are used to that pressure. It’s never nice to prepare for a game, do everything that’s needed and then the result is wrong.
‘We have a group of players and staff who are here to win, so every result which doesn’t go our way leaves a feeling you need to overcome. What’s needed is the team finds the right reaction to that.
‘It increases the importance of the weekend game because you want to bounce back, especially at home and in the league, where we are in a really good position.’
He added: ‘The one advantage you have is when there is a short period between games, you don’t have too much time to dwell on it. You just prepare and go again. That’s maybe one thing which is helpful.
‘In my career I saw it could affect some people more than others, but you just have to come in and concentrate on the preparation for the next game because you cannot change what happens in the past. You have to keep your mind positive and on the task.’
