Petr Cech says he’s still hopeful of signing off his playing career with a final trophy but admits watching his Arsenal teammates miss out on a Premier League top four finish soured his final game at the Emirates.
The 36-year-old was on the bench as the Gunners laboured to a 1-1 draw with Brighton – a result that all but ends our domestic hopes of qualifying for the Champions League – and then said his goodbyes following a muted presentation from the club that played out against the backdrop of thousands of empty seats.
All going well, Cech should play two more games before retiring. First comes Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg at Valencia and then the prospect of a final against former club Chelsea in Baku.
“I have mixed emotions because we wanted to win and obviously in this moment it’s a very strange and new feeling for me because I know this will be my last time here at the Emirates,” he told Arsenal Player.
“I wish that we could have won the game and finished the season at home on a high. We put ourselves in a good position to play until the last game of the season for a chance of the Champions League, but obviously we didn’t manage to do that today, so it’s mixed feelings for me.
“I’m sad on one side because my journey here is over, but we still have hopefully three weeks to go until Baku. We need to pick ourselves up and get ready for Thursday because this is most important.
“I have to say I’m very grateful to everyone because I came from a rival club and everyone accepted me. I’ve always believed that if you work for the team and work hard, then you’ll give everything for the shirt. Hopefully I’ve done that. I have to say that I hope my last game will be in Baku. That would be the best thing.
“I want to progress to the final and lift one last trophy. I think everybody at Arsenal deserves that, so I hope we can make it.”
We hope so as well. The 3 lads saying goodbye are real pros. All 3 have had really serious injury issues and have shown a level of fortitude, bravery and professionalism severely missing by some of the starting 11 yesterday. Good luck in whatever their career paths brings them unless against Arsenal.
No news on a new contract for Monreal so I wonder if he’s leaving too. I would certainly give him an extra year though. A very underated, professional, great servant to the club.
Agree on a 1-year deal, but it’s imperative we also have someone who can legitimately challenge Monreal, because his legs look like they are gone.
I hope he plays Leno. He’s our best goalkeeper. It’s too nice, too nice, too nice. And that’s half our problem.
AMN and Maddison. Give Cech a go. Soft penalties. Manager stays for 20+ years. Jenkinson gets a game because he loves the club. Ozil injured every away game. These things are linked. Too nice, too nice, too nice.
In every single way, this club lacks the killer instinct to be a competitive club.
Totally agree on the lack of killer instinct. Aubameyang during post game interview last week :
“We are human beings, we make mistakes, you know.”
That’s ruthlessness, the Arsenal way.
Auba fries my brain. I just don’t know what to make of him.
Emery needs to decide how he wants to set up and if it’s with one up front, for my money, either Laca or Auba has to go. And for overall team productivity it should be Auba. Plus it’s the last chance for us to get some decent money for him.
We need to know who our number nine is, all this changing it up is not helping the team.
Cech is still better at dealing with crosses and has been brilliant in the Europa League and thoroughly deserves to win a final trophy.
we have two excellent goalkeepers and Cech is the cup goalie. I have no issues with that, and I feel completely safe with Cech
Except when the ball is at his feet haha 😀
What happens if we’re facing Chelsea in Baku 🙁
I know big Pete is one of the most professional players we have, but if we lose or he concedes a howler he will never live it down.
Actually, What’s his punishment if he throws the game? 5 year ban?
What a ridiculous thing to say.
Shut up you deluded troll!!!
3 exclamations? Chill out manjit.
I’m just saying if I was in cech’s shoes I know what I would do.
After implying cech would never I ask what the potential punishment would be.. And that makes me a troll?
I know we are all fractious due to how things are going right now but wind it in guys we’re meant to be a family.
Cech is one or the most professional players in the league. The problem is not one of honesty. It is one of conflicting loves. Henry at Barcelona used to say : I don’t know how I can even play against Arsenal.
If there was any effect in that sense, it would also apply in our favour to Giroud who has been Chelsea’s deadly striker in Europa League this year.
Sounds like Cech is on his way back to Chelsea with his comment “my last time here at the Emirates”.
Not sure about the down votes here. The word is that he declined a job at Emirates in favour of keeper coaching role at Chelsea. I’m not blaming him as it’s difficult to transition in the same environment and having to coach his friends/rivals.
It was nice having you Petr even if you didn’t deliver the 12 points a year or whatever it was we were promised by those in the know.
It’s worth pointing out that if we don’t win the Europa League, and finish 6th in the league (quite conceivable that United beat Cardiff and we don’t beat Burnley), and Watford win the fa cup (granted less conceivable), then we’ll enter the Europa League at the second qualification round. First leg is July 25th…. which means we would likely have to cancel (or rearrange) our scheduled lucrative friendly against Real Madrid which is pencilled in for July 23rd in the United States. Wonder what Stan would think of that. And then it’s the Emirates cup on July 28th, followed by… Read more »
Brighton should get the trophy for fairplay and professionalism. They knew they were safe before the game yet managed to get a draw against Arsenal.
Nice breakdown. And I have zero confidence we’ll get anything from Burnley.
Obviously it would be great for Cech to play but if we make it I’d hope emery to make the best choice on the day for the match.
If Leno is performing better then he should play.
But Valencia first
Leno has to play if we beat Valencia. It would be Arsenals biggest match for some time, in terms of what’s riding on it, and playing your 2nd choice keeper makes zero sense to me.
He’s not. Normal no 2 but a great keeper
Of course he should play Cech in the final. He hasn’t let us down in any match in the Europa League and deserves to end his great career with a trophy
There isn’t room for sentimentality, it’s a cup final. The best possible eleven should play
Like to see a bit less talk about Baku from the players. From what I’ve seen in the last month, avoiding a 2 goal loss in Valencia looks a step or two beyond them.
This. Absolutely insane to already start talking about Baku given our current form. 3-1 last week flattered us. The 1-0 against Watford a few weeks was also extremely fortitutious. We’re in a real bad slump at the moment and it’s going to get down voted to the hills but I really can see us fucking this up. Of course I hope we don’t but I genuinely have no faith in this team to get us over the line
Off topic but…I think we are relying too much on tactics and not enough on hairstyles. Hector changed his and the identity of the team was lost in my opinion. His action clearly led to Arteta and Giroud leaving. The rest is history…:-(
I hope so too, but it’s hard to be optimistic.
Our problem is not entirely defensive. We don’t help ourselves with the number of chances we squander each game. As many goals as Auba and Laca have scored, they can improve and be more clinical. Other players need to weigh in as well (Iwobi, Mhkitaryan, Ozil) We are too timid with the ball and tepid with our efforts. Plus we lack players with ability on the ball to take on packed defenses. This has been an issue for 4 or 5 seasons now amplified with the departire of Alexis. Mslintat did us ZERO favours plucking low hanging fruit with Mhkitaryan… Read more »
F**king he’ll Santori. Throw in a Flamini somewhere in there and it will be the same diatribe for the last (what feels like) 10 years. Haysoos!
It would be poetic if Arsenal play Chelsea in the Europa final and Cech has a stellar game!!! After which he takes a job at Chelsea.