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Now it's advantage Arsenal, says Cech
Leo Spall, Evening Standard11.02.08
Petr Cech believes Arsenal now hold the upper hand in the title race after being given an extra rest day to recover from the international break.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United failed to win yesterday meaning Arsene Wenger's side can go five points clear at the top of the table if they beat Blackburn tonight.
All three title contenders saw the vast majority of their squads called up for international duty last Wednesday and Cech believes the additional recovery day - for the purposes of televising their match - will aid the Gunners.
Following Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, Cech said: "It is hard coming back from internationals for a Premier League game because you have to travel and we have had a lot of games.
"But you can't use that as an excuse because the other teams, Liverpool and Manchester United, have a lot internationals. Arsenal have one day extra which is better but they have a lot of internationals also.
"When you are playing for a big team you have to be aware of this and get through. We were unlucky against Liverpool but in the end we dropped two points."
The draw means it is four years since Chelsea lost at home in the League but Cech insists protecting that record was of no concern.
"We thought possibly United might have lost and that is why we had extra motivation to beat Liverpool and get back closer to them and Arsenal, but in the end it was not enough," the goalkeeper told Chelsea TV.
"The last thing you care about is the home record. It is better to chase the victory and if you lose, there is not such a difference between losing two or three points. You chase the result."
Florent Malouda, who came on as a second-half substitute, admitted the slip would leave the Chelsea camp angry.
He said: "We have to remain focused on the league. You can't choose which competition to win - we are a good team and we set a target to win every game. All the top clubs look for that - you are happy to win and very angry when you drop points. That is your motivation."
John Terry believes he will be back from a broken foot within 10 days after returning to training but Avram Grant still expects his skipper to miss the Carling Cup Final against Tottenham on 24 February.
