'One day all keepers may have to wear a headguard like me'

'If I decide to play," says Petr Cech, "then I don't look for excuses." The Chelsea goalkeeper, given the traumas of this season, could be forgiven the odd attempt at mitigation. But then he would have to make a mistake for that to happen.

Just look at the statistics. In the nine games Cech has played since recovering from a fractured skull he has conceded just three goals - and two of those came on his return against Liverpool with the other, a deflection, in last Wednesday's Champions' League tie against Porto. Before that it was seven straight shut-outs (including one for the Czech Republic).

Prior to Cech's return, Chelsea had conceded 10 goals in nine games; unheard-of under Jose Mourinho. Indeed, the response to his comeback was best captured by Mourinho's reaction at The Valley at the start of February after Chelsea had eked out a precious single- goal victory over Charlton Athletic. At the end the manager ran on to the pitch to hug the 6ft 5in goalkeeper who, just four months earlier, had suffered that horrific injury at Reading.

"It's good for every player when he feels the confidence of the manager and it's nice that he has that confidence after the injury," Cech says when reminded that Mourinho had also described his return to full training as like "signing a [pound]50 million player". "I heard about it, of course," Cech adds, " but no matter what he said, when you are on the pitch it doesn't matter how much they paid for you - or think you are worth. Whether you are a [pound]100,000 player or a [pound]100m one, you have to always play well if you want to keep winning and be in the first XI. If it's [pound]50m it doesn't matter."

Cech actually cost [pound]7.2m from the French club Rennes, arriving just before Mourinho in 2004, and was not one of the Portuguese's signings. Since then, Mourinho has often been moved to give thanks for that inheritance. Claims that Cech is now the best goalkeeper in the world, having probably supplanted Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, are usually no longer met with much argument.

Cech's physical attributes are obvious, but so is his mental strength. He recalls that match at Anfield, for example. "I said, 'OK, 100 per cent I play or I don't play'. I decided to play, so it means I felt sure that nothing would happen," Cech says. But how, following his collision with Stephen Hunt that caused his injury, did he feel when the first Liverpool challenge was made on him? "It was easy to forget everything because once you are on the pitch you don't feel about anything else but the game," he explains. "Your body does that. You don't get involved in anything but the game. And that's exactly what happened."

It was harder when he returned to training, because of the lack of intensity, although that difficulty was overtaken by a simple sense of "relief " to be back, especially when it was feared he might have been out for 12 months or might even have never played again. Cech has to wear a bespoke headguard until experts are satisfied there is no risk of further damage.

"I've got used to playing with it so I don't really feel any difference," Cech says. In fact he believes that maybe one day all goalkeepers could wear such protection. "It's like in ice hockey," he says. "When I was young you saw all the players without helmets and now everyone plays with them. It's an obligation. The game goes forward and everything is quicker, harder, stronger."

Cech has noticed that in football, too, things are changing. "Recently there have been more head injuries for goalkeepers - you have to dive at the feet of players, you can clash at headers and with elbows. Edwin van der Sar got a broken nose [against Tottenham] so maybe there will be a time when more and more goalkeepers will play with headguards."

His own recovery has carried on apace. Cech no longer takes any medication, initially prescribed amid fears that he could suffer epileptic fits, and has been cleared to drive - "I'm very happy with that," he smiles. He no longer suffers from the terrible headaches that plagued him in the wake of the injury. A further assessment will take place at the end of the season. It has been a remarkable recuperation.

Cech's mental toughness was also apparent in that match against Charlton. After dominating, Chelsea failed to capitalise on an early lead and had to rely on Cech, a spectator until then, to make two excellent late saves. For a goalkeeper at a leading club, he says, it is a common occurrence to be able to apply the concentration necessary for such rare moments, and it is what helps mark out the best.

"You can see Manchester United had [Peter] Schmeichel and then he finished his career and they had problems finding a goalkeeper who could do the same," Cech says. "Take [Massimo] Taibi. He was unbelievable when he played in goal for Atalanta. There were 15 chances in a game and he saved 13 and they lost 2-0 or 2-1. But it's easier to play when you have six shots and save five. You are the hero even if you lose.