What marks the best goalkeepers from the rest

Petr Cech set another record in a stellar career on Sunday when he became the first goalkeeper to reach 200 clean sheets in the Premier League.

It is a remarkable achievement, and the 35-year-old says that the best of the best all tend to share one key quality.

 

"I think it’s the consistency," Cech told Arsenal Player. "If you want to keep your place in the best league in the world, then you need to be consistent and spot on with your preparation and make sure that the manager picks you for most of the games, or every game. 

"It’s a special position on the pitch and as well most of the time you only use one goalkeeper. The back up one has a very hard job, you support and train every day, needing to make sure you are ready when your chances come, but your chances are limited, or game time is limited, so as a No 1 I always try to make sure I stay a No 1 by being consistant and train well, train hard and the best you can. 

"That gives you the chance to play every game at the level you need to be and this is the only way you keep your spot in the team, so this has been always my target. Day after day I come in and work as best as I can to try to improve myself and obviously to make sure I’m ready to compete and play as best as I can."

Cech is widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation, but who does the man himself admire?

 

"When I was growing up you had those like Schmeichel and Kahn and Van der Sar," he said. "Later on you had Buffon and if you talk about consistency, you can see Buffon playing until 40 because if you look after yourself, you are professional and you work then it shows that if your body copes with the pressure then you are still able to go - but it doesn’t happen just like that. 

"Then you had Casillas playing for many, many years with Real Madrid and so I think that you had so many examples where you can see. For example Edwin van der Sar, when he came to England it took him only up to 34 years old when he joined United and basically he had the most successful spell in England at his age. So you can see that if you work well and your body allows you, then you can play until late if you do the right thing."