Arsenal stopper Petr Cech reveals inspirations behind remarkable goalkeeping career

ARSENAL goalkeeper Petr Cech could reach a significant top-flight milestone on Friday night.

Petr Cech GETTY

Petr Cech has kept 19 clean sheets in the Premier League

Czech stopper has kept 199 clean sheets in the Premier League throughout his remarkable career.

Jurgen Klopp's free-scoring Liverpool side are the next visitors to the Emirates on Friday (7.45pm).

And Cech, 36, will be hoping Arsenal's backline can keep top-scorer Mohamed Salah quiet.

Ahead of the game, the five-time FA Cup winner opened up about the goalkeepers he aspired to as a youngster.

“Peter Schmeichel, because you could see his huge presence in the Man United goal and then I think as well that at that time he had a different approach to any other goalkeeper,” Cech told the official Arsenal website.

“Everybody else played on the line and he was more advanced.

“He [Peter Schmeichel] was more aggressive in his positioning”

Petr Cech

"He was more aggressive in his positioning, cutting down the angles, and he was not afraid to take more risks.

"So I think that was something you look up at and you think about. His presence and influence in the box was big.

Cech has kept nine clean sheets in 18 games for Arsenal so far this season.

But the last time he faced Liverpool, back in August, he had to pick the ball out of his net four times.

It turns out that another former Manchester United gloveman provided Cech with inspiration.

“Then there’s Edwin van der Sar," the fomer Chelsea star continued.

"When he started playing for Ajax, suddenly they used him as a defender when they needed to keep possession.

"When there were difficult moments they just passed it back to him and he played.

"That was the first team you saw at that time really using the goalkeeper as a member of the team to play, not only to play a goal-kick and be there to save the ball."

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