Chelsea keeper Petr Cech : "lost year"

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has warned his club that they must face the fact that this season could be "a year lost in the progression" of Chelsea football club. The Blues have fallen to fifth in the league, 8 points behind Arsenal who are in 3rd place.

Chelsea are still in the Champions League, but could face a season without playing in the European showpiece tournament as they are currently battling through a spell of poor form.


"It is a year lost in the progression of the club," Cech said. "For a big club, you can accept that the team does not win the league because it is in transition, but you can't afford to slip out of the Champions League spots, because the big teams are about the Champions League.


"I believe that one season will make a difference, because it will slow down all the process of being a Champions League club and hunting for trophies, but it will not be the end of Chelsea, because I believe that we will come back.


"In terms of the Premier League, we have put ourselves in a difficult position, but there are 24 points still left, and that is a lot of points to play for. In that period, you could overcome a five-point deficit, but you need to make sure that you win all your games or the majority of them and the other teams slip."