Petr Cech: Why I made that mistake against West Ham on my Arsenal debut

Petr Cech was caught out when West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate headed in a first-half free-kick

PETR CECH has explained the reason behind his nightmare Arsenal debut which featured an uncharacteristic mistake against West Ham.

 

The Czech goalkeeper was heralded as the answer to the Gunners' woes in goal following his arrival from Chelsea.

But things went horribly wrong in his first competitive start for the club when he was caught out by a Dimitri Payet free-kick and Cheikhou Kouyate headed the ball into an unguarded net.

Cech was then caught flat-footed when a shot from Mauro Zarate beat him at the near post to complete a 2-0 defeat.

The 33-year-old admits he was trying to inject an bit of energy into the Arsenal team, who he felt had made a slow start.

 

He told Sport magazine: "It was just a coincidence, in a way. We were all raring to go and then the first half was really slow. There was a bit of a lack of rhythm and you think: ‘Let's put a bit of energy in here.’ 

"So when that ball came [a free-kick by West Ham’s Dimitri Payet], I was thinking: ‘Let’s go and get the ball and make something happen.’ A fast counter-attack, or whatever. 

"And this was where the mistake came, because there was no way I could have got this ball.

"I wanted to do something extra, but this usually goes wrong.

 

"You shouldn’t do things that are extra; you should do things the precise way and not try to do something you don’t have to. 

"You learn in every moment, even at 33. And, in a way, you surprise yourself because this has never happened to me before. I’m always good at keeping myself focused on doing what I need to do."

Since the blunder, Cech has bounced back impressively and he said the social media backlash was just a bit of fun.

Petr Cech has bounced back well from his opening day woes

He added: "My wife showed me that Superman-style picture floating around the internet. This is part of the game. 

"When something like that happens, people take the opportunity to make a bit of fun. The way I see it is: they don’t get a chance to do that the whole year, so the first time they have it, they have to use it. 

"For the rest of the season they might not get a chance."