Manchester City v Chelsea: Roberto Di Matteo’s legend has lifted us, says Petr Cech
Roberto Di Matteo has made such an impact on the Chelsea team and the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge because he is a club “legend”, according to their goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Di Matteo was installed as interim head coach until the end of the season after Andre Villas-Boas was sacked following poor results, strange starting line-ups and tensions with certain players.
Di Matteo, a midfielder at Chelsea between 1996 and 2002, has brought some calm to the dressing-room, restored senior players such as Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba and introduced a successful 4-2-3-1 system. The team have won all four games under him.
“He understood quickly what he has in the team,’’ Cech said. “You can see he’s Chelsea through and through, a Chelsea legend.
“It helped in terms of the general atmosphere and the reception of the fans. When you have a person who is a legend at the club leading the team, the fans give you more time and give you a chance.
“The atmosphere at the stadium was much more positive. Wednesday against Napoli was absolutely amazing. It reminded me of the game we played against Barcelona in my first season when the stadium was rocking.