Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger has said that having Petr Čech doesn’t give the Gunners any significant inside knowledge ahead of Saturday’s game against Chelsea.
Čech spent 11 years at Stamford Bridge but moved across the city in an £11m move during the summer. The goalkeeper has already played against his former club, keeping a clean sheet in the Community Shield at Wembley. Arsenal won 1-0 that day, marking Wenger’s first win over Mourinho, but the Arsenal manager insists Čech can’t reveal any ‘secrets’ to give the Gunners the upper hand.
“But there is no big secret other than on the day, perform at your best, and together,” the manager said at Friday’s press conference. “Our solidarity, our performances will be more important than what he knows.
“There is no massive secret in that.”
Saturday will mark Čech’s first game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, but Wenger thinks his goalkeeper will handle the occasion just fine.
“It is always difficult to go back to your club and play but I believe that he has fortunately handled that this season,” Wenger said.
“That is why I decided to play him as well in the Community Shield. It is the first step that is important and he has dealt very well with it.”
Čech is 33 years old and has won everything in the domestic game on top of winning 116 international caps for the Czech Republic. Such an incredible amount of experience will serve him well, as he will be able to call upon that on Saturday.
You’d expect the day to be an emotional one, but Čech is sure to take it all on his stride.