Chelsea news: 'A completely different club' - Stamford Bridge legend questions Blues strategy

Petr Cech spent 11 seasons of his career defending Chelsea. The Czech goalkeeper, who became an icon at Stamford Bridge, lived the club like few others, becoming the seventh player to make the most appearances for the Londoners (494 in total).

In London, Cech won the Premier League four times, the Champions League in 2012, among other honours, while providing stability between the posts during difficult periods at the club.

Now, the retired goalkeeper says he no longer recognises the club he defended for most of his career. In his view, Chelsea's new ownership has radically transformed everything he experienced for years.

'A completely different club'

"From what you see from the outside, I don't think you can compare because of the vision and the way that the club operates, how they want to do things. It's completely different from how it was. What you see now, what the club does, and obviously the personnel. A lot of things have changed. So it's a completely different approach, different mentality. Chelsea will always be in my heart and I want them to do well, but it is a different club," he said in an interview with The Athletic.

Shortly after retiring in 2019, while playing for rivals Arsenal, Cech returned to Chelsea as a technical and performance adviser. However, he left the role in 2022, just after Roman Abramovich, who owned the club during his playing days, sold Chelsea.

One of the greatest goalkeepers in Chelsea history and in the Premier League era, Cech has never hidden his affection and admiration for the Blues. That is why he understands the supporters' frustration during another delicate and turbulent campaign.

Currently, Chelsea sit ninth in the Premier League, still chasing a place in continental competition, having gone through two managerial changes — Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior — but they are in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.

The former goalkeeper added that the club's legacy was built on winning trophies, meaning supporters who had begun following the club over the past 15 years had only seen success. Going through a less successful period, with the league position not where it should be, was naturally something the fans were feeling, he explained, adding that this was exactly the situation Chelsea were in at the moment.

Cech raises concerns about Chelsea's strategy

In recent years, BlueCo, the company that owns Chelsea, has invested approximately £1.25bn in player transfers. The club's plan was to sign young players and develop them in the long term.

Within that framework, Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and many others have been brought in, with the duo serving as the most successful examples. Others have struggled. For Cech, this strategy is at odds with the club's expectations.

"You have to look at what you want to achieve. You can have young, talented players, and you can win, but it's very rare that you manage to do that. If you want to win every season and compete every season, that does not go together," the Chelsea great analysed.

He went on to explain that the club needed to change its philosophy, adding that certain things did not match because winning the Champions League or the Premier League required consistency in extremely tough competitions. The former goalkeeper insisted that a strong core within the squad was essential, allowing younger, talented players to develop more quickly under the guidance of more experienced teammates who could help them through difficult moments.

When most of the squad is young and lacks experience of going through tough periods, players almost end up looking at each other wondering who is going to help them, and that can become difficult, he added. He insisted the club had to recognise what stage it was at and what was required.

Goalkeepers also under Cech's lens

Since the Czech left the club in 2015, Chelsea have struggled to find a goalkeeper who inspires the kind of trust he did. Thibaut Courtois, who left in 2018, departed with great credit and made it look as though the goalkeeping position would not be a problem at Stamford Bridge.

However, after the Belgian's departure, it could be argued that only Edouard Mendy, for a brief period, offered any stability between the posts.

In recent years, Gabriel Slonina, Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders have been signed under BlueCo's stewardship. Sanchez has been the regular starter and the one who has stood out most in recent seasons, although he has accumulated errors and is constantly questioned.

"The goalkeepers are not being helped by the overall situation. As a goalkeeper, if your team is struggling, then you have a bit of a problem yourself too because you're exposed and there is a lot of pressure on you. That can affect your performance because, as a goalkeeper, you rely on teamwork and the help of the people around you or the system around you," he analysed.

"Rob (Sanchez), you can see, he's got a huge, huge potential, and there are games where you see it," Cech continued, before pointing out that the Spaniard still had to work on certain aspects, in particular his consistency and decision-making.

Chelsea sit ninth in the Premier League with 48 points, 10 behind Aston Villa, the first club inside the qualification zone for next season's Champions League. Aiming to secure European football through the league, the Blues face Forest, who are enjoying an excellent run in the competition, on Monday morning.