Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is relieved to be on international duty with the Czech Republic to escape the pressure of everyday life at Stamford Bridge, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Cech said: “If you have all the sort of problems in the club and the club is not doing well and you then come to an atmosphere where everyone is relaxed because you have made our target by reaching the European Championship, then the atmosphere is different and you can enjoy it.”
The 29-year-old, who will captain his country against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday evening, joined Chelsea in 2004 and has made more than 300 appearances for the Premier League side, including 36 this season. Cech has also been capped 88 times by his country since making his senior debut in 2002.
Drawn in Group A for Euro 2012 alongside co-hosts Poland, champions of the 2004 tournament Greece and Russia, the Czech Republic qualified for the competition via the play-offs where they defeated Macedonia 3-0 on aggregate. The Czech Republic had finished as runners-up to World Cup winners Spain in the first group stage and with 13 points were the sixth-best runners-up. Cech played in both legs of the play-offs.
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