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The career milestones - PART THREE
The career milestones - PART THREE
Another Successful Qualification, the Birth of Adélka
Football spring of 2007 was followed by football autumn and with it further sport challenges came: national team, Premier League, Champions League. With the national team Petr managed excellently the finish of qualification for advance to the European Championship, in the match in Germany after which the definitive decision about the participation of the Czech team in Euro 2008 was made, he brought the team of Karel Brückner to the victory 3:0 with captain's badge on the arm. In the Champions League he had clean slate three times and also thanks to it Chelsea ensured quite smooth advance from the basic group to the eight final of the competition. Immediately at the beginning of the new season on the grounds of Premier League he achieved his 100th Premier League zero and thanks to that round sum of clean slates from the Czech, French and English leagues he became a member of the League Goalkeepers Club. In the League he managed to survive also the September series of non-success during which the coach José Mourinho was recalled who was replaced by the Israeli couch Avram Grant. In the same way, in November and December he coped with two injuries (torn vastus muscle, impinged hip) that always excluded him from the play for several matches. He entered the new year with Chelsea with still real hope of the title of the Champions League and defence of the triumphs in the Premier League and Carling Cup. The far most pleasant news and event of those days, however, was the birth of his daughter Adélka – the first-born of the couple Čech came into the word on January 23, 2008...
Three Trophies within Reach, Disappointment at Euro 2008
The second half of the season 2007-08 for the Blues was in token of the fight at three football fronts. At all three of them Chelsea did very well, however, it did not manage to take the last successful step leading to winning the trophy in any of the competitions. Whether it was in the League Cup where in the final it lost in extension with Tottenham or in Premier League, where till the last round it was in the play for the title, however, in the end, it had to bow to Manchester United. It was that traditional rival that prepared still another extreme bolus for it, namely, in the Champions League final when with a large amount of luck it defeated the London team in the penalty shoot-off only. In that dramatic Champions League final Petr was the man in the right place, he supported his team several times, including the caught penalty of Cristiano Ronaldo, but still, it was not enough for the cup triumph. The Czech goalkeeper wanted to heal the pains of the disappointment in the Champions League at the European Championship, however, he was not destined to enjoy football luck. The Czech team was very close to the participation in the tournament quarter final, but it lost its advance by the unsuccessful duel with the Turks. The early exclusion from the Championship was the sadder for Petr that in the above-mentioned match with Turkey he made a mistake in the case of the second goal, a mistake that he will be sorry still for a long time... So, the season ended in which Big Pete had to cope not only with a number of health problems, but also with hard football defeats.
End of the first five-year plan: Scolari and then Hiddink
Petr could make sure that time passes quickly at the beginning of the season 2008/09. It was his fifth already in the sports dress of Chelsea FC. After two years of the rule of Manchester United in Premier League in autumn part, 2008 it seemed in the top English competition that the domination of the team of Old Trafford could be broken and that it would be exactly Chelsea that will replace the Ferguson squad at the top of the final order. It is true that in October the Blues lost their invincibility lasting for 86 (!!!) matches at the home field in Premier League, when Liverpool deprived them of it, nevertheless, till the 15th league round they stayed in the top of the table. However, then the cold shower appeared in the form of November loss with Arsenal, in addition rather sensational exclusion in Carling Cup with the First Division Burnley – and the crisis in results (and, within a certain extent, also in performance) of the London team originated. Unfortunately, more or less it continued till January and so it was no surprise that it resulted in the leaving of Luiz Felipe Scolari.
The successor of the Portuguese became the coach globe-trotter Guus Hiddink who proved his undoubted qualities also during the temporary engagement at Stamford Bridge. The team managed by him stood up at all fronts and as if sprinkled with viva aqua started to defeat one rival after another. It was not enough for the title in the Premier League, it is true (the loss of points was too large), but it led to the triumph in the English Cup. In the Champions League the Blues were one minute from the deserved advancement to the final of that competition, however, the hit of Iniesto meant the end of hopes in this direction. The exclusion was so unfair and sad for Blues that they were deprived of the Champions League final, within a considerable extent, by the scandalous performance of the Norwegian referee Ovrebo who in four cases connived at fouls that called for ordering penalty… Another bitter moment for Petr was, at that time not at the Europen cup stage, but at the scene of national team, was the home loss with Slovakia in the qualification for participation in the World Championship 2010. That loss of 3 points meant a great complication for the Czech team in its effort to fight its way to the World Cup to South Africa.
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