Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Hiddink looks to rebuild Cech's confidence


The psyche of a goalkeeper is as fragile as it gets - in most cases, you are either the hero or the goat...no in between.

Because of that, it is not hard for a goalkeeper to his lose his confidence if goals are getting banged in against him and his team. Guus Hiddink is certainly a master motivator, and is doing a good job of aiding and supporting Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech during his dip in form over the past two weeks, as Sky Sports' James Dall reports.

Of Cech's state of mind, Blues manager Hiddink said: "He is a very intelligent and self-critical goalkeeper."

"He was not happy with his performance against Bolton although there was always a sequence of errors before he came into action. But he is very critical of his own performance even when he has had an almost perfect game."

"There were some things tonight [Tuesday] where you could see he was not full of confidence. I think a goalkeeper once in a while has a right not to have a big performance."

"But he will stay a very good goalkeeper, every person sometimes has this small period of not being on top form. If a player is playing a lesser game now and then, it is not always the reason to make a substitution."

Despite his poor performances over the past couple of weeks, the Czech Republic standout seems to be remaining positive and optimistic with the FA Cup semifinal versus Arsenal on the horizon.

"I would be disappointed to be left out against Arsenal. Who wouldn't be? This is a question for the manager, but one bad goal can't change what you have been doing all season," said Cech.

"You have to show your confidence in training and in games."

"If you go to speak to the manager, you can say whatever you want, but he needs to see your answers on the pitch, not in his office. In any case, I am sure we won't defend as badly again on Saturday."

"It is the first time in my Chelsea career that I have conceded so many goals in two consecutive games, and the first time I have made mistakes in both of them."

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