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Record breaker Petr Cech insists he would not have joined Arsenal if he did not think they could win the Premier League.

Cech won four league titles in a glittering career at Chelsea before making the toughest decision of his career to quit Stamford Bridge last summer to move to the Emirates.

The Czech keeper’s impressive form has helped him set a new Premier League record after keeping 170 clean sheets, beating David James in 220 fewer games.

It is a remarkable record which has proved Cech is worth his weight in gold and has left him believing Arsenal can win their first title since 2004.

Cech, 33, said: “It was not an easy decision but I always wanted to go to a team which could win.

“If I didn’t believe that I was going to a team which could win then I don’t know why I would come.

“I play football, not to only enjoy it and I love the challenge of playing and competing with the best players, but I want to have the chance to win games.

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(Image: David Price)

“I believe this team has the qualities to win games and hopefully we will manage to go all the way in the league. It’s a very difficult and long run but I believe this team has the capabilities of doing it.

“We are in a good position, we are in the mix of the teams who will play to win the title so we want to stay in that position for as long as possible and every time we have a chance to improve our position then we would love to do it.

“The league is very interesting this year because the table keeps changing every other week.

“But as long as we are there in March and are in a position where we can win the league then it’s fine as it will only depend on us.”

Arsenal’s title challenge will, however, greatly depend on Cech. The win over Bournemouth saw comparisons being bandied about with Arsene Wenger comparing Mesut Ozil to Dennis Bergkamp and Cech to David Seaman.

Cech reached 159 clean sheets 20 months ago but his lack of games in his final season at Chelsea when Thibaut Courtois largely took over meant he had to wait.

All-time Premier League clean sheets

And he also believes it is harder now to keep out the opposition than when it was when he first arrived at Chelsea in 2004.

“I realised it was not my time to sit on the bench, I wanted to play the games because I believed I had the qualities to play and this is where I started to make the decision to come here (Arsenal) and to play,” said Cech. “It’s always been hard but now, with the modern technology, the balls are faster, people want more goals so the balls are made to fly faster, more unpredictable and more comfortable for the player to shoot.

“It becomes trickier because there are elements of the ball that you cannot control and you must make sure you are ready.

“You have to be consistent in your work, consistent in your performances because if not then you might not have as many games as you would like, and the less games you play then less chances to have a clean sheet.”

Cech also revealed his secrets of his success. Hours of painstaking preparation, ability never to let mistakes worry him and his fearless attitude despite the life-threatening injury at Reading in 2006 which has left him needing to wear a protective head guard.

He also speaks five languages - Czech, English, French, Spanish and German - and that ensures he can communicate with all his team mates.

In pics: Arsenal beat Bournemouth and Cech makes history

Cech added: “I speak to the full-backs in Spanish, to Koscielny in French and to Per in English because for him it is the same as me. He organises people in English. Sometimes foreign players wouldn’t know what you say. That’s when you realise it’s easier to say it in their language than hoping they will understand. It can happen.

“I remember the first training with the team after the injury and there was a massive scramble in front of the goal. Everyone was trying to kick the ball, there were boots flying everywhere and I just dived in and grabbed the ball.

“Everyone kicked me and they were ‘oh, we weren’t expecting that’. When I play I just play. I don’t think about it all. If I get injured, I get injured. That’s the way it is. You can’t avoid things like that.

“During the game I never think about what happens if I make a mistake. I just play. I concentrate on what I have to every second of the game. Then at the end of the game you can sit down and think ‘that was good or that was bad.”