Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has moved to play down rumours of player unrest at the club under manager Andre Villas-Boas.
Keeper bemoans media pressure on Chelsea
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has moved to play down rumours of player unrest at the club under manager Andre Villas-Boas.
Inconsistency has plagued the Blues this season and speculation has surfaced of a rift between the boss and the players, who are thought to be unhappy with his tactics and team selections.
Billionaire owner Roman Abramovich held talks with the manager and squad in the wake of their defeat at Everton earlier this month, fuelling rumours all is not well behind the scenes.
But veteran keeper Cech, who was awarded the Czech player of the year prize for 2011 on Monday, insists that meeting was misrepresented by the media.
He told
isport.blesk.cz: "Everyone has been talking about a meeting between the team and Abramovich.
"The truth is elsewhere and the picture of that meeting was misrepresented."
Pressure
He added: "Chelsea has been under huge pressure from the media and if we are not doing well then the pressure mounts.
"The media uses that to form some nonsense theory or speculation, and we have to live with that."
Chelsea currently sit outside the UEFA Champions League places on goal difference but Cech is confident of them securing a top-four finish, and is hoping to go one better.
"We still have a chance to finish third but our aim is to finish fourth as the worst case scenario. That's clear," he said.
"I still believe things will turn for the better and our season will be successful.
"Everybody has been doing their best to change the situation. But what happens in training we are not able to take into competitive games. People can hardly say we're not putting in enough effort."
