Chelsea FC goalkeeper Asmir Begovi has issued a rallying cry to his team-mate following the Blues’ defeat to Southampton, urging them to show character and stay positive as they look to bounce back from a nightmare start
When Asmir Begovi moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer, it is unlikely that he envisaged his new team in the bottom half of the table two months into the 2015-2016 Premier League season. Yet that is where Chelsea FC find themselves — their worst start to a domestic campaign since 1978-1979, the season in which they got relegated.
The Bosnia & Herzegovina international has stressed the importance of staying positive and getting a good result in order to boost morale and subsequently to put together a positive run of results as the Blues look to finish in the top four.
Begovi stresses the importance of remaining positive
Arguably the biggest problem Chelsea FC manager Jos Mourinho faces is the complete lack of confidence amongst his squad, with the Portuguese explicitly referencing their fragile psychological conditions following the 3-1 defeat to the Saints at Stamford Bridge.
His current No 1 goalkeeper spoke to the Chelsea FC website following the loss, saying: “It’s not the standard this club and team has set so for us at the moment it is a very difficult time. Hopefully this break comes at a good time and we can regroup, get a good result in the next game and drive on from there.
“When things are not going your way it’s tough; we’re playing against a lot of things at the moment, it’s a mental thing as well, but it’s just something we’ve got to keep fighting through.
“Hopefully one result will get the confidence going again and we can kick on. We have to show character and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves.
“That’s life, that’s football a you have ups and downs. We’re going through a down at this moment and we need to improve. We need to get back to basics, work even harder, and I’m sure collectively we’ll do that.
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“It’s important we stay positive; we know we can be a good team, we know we can play better. First and foremost we’ve got to look to the next game.”
The Bosnian has been one of the few good performers for Chelsea FC
Begovi is among the very few positives of the Blues’ season thus far, with the former Stoke City shot-stopper seamlessly coming in to the first-team to deputise for the injured Thibaut Courtois. His performances this season have been impressive, particularly given the porosity of the defence in front of him and the fact that Chelsea FC have conceded more shots on target than every other side in the league.
Mourinho has made some errors in the transfer window, but his insistence on bringing the Bosnian to the club has been vindicated in a big way. Blues fans would shudder to think of how much worse the situation could be had they been unable to sign a keeper of his quality, and had instead ended up with a less talented keeper such as Rob Green.
Although there hasn’t been much to cheer about for Chelsea FC fans this season, the reassuraning presence of Begovi between the posts continues to be a massive relief.