Petr Cech pleased with personal form despite lack of clean sheets

Petr Cech in action during the Premier League game between Manchester City and Arsenal on December 18, 2016
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Petr Cech claims that he is still performing at a high enough level this season and says Arsenal's lack of clean sheets can be easily explained.

Petr Cech has insisted that he is playing as well as ever and put a lack of clean sheets down to Arsenal simply being "unlucky".

The 34-year-old has kept just six shutouts in 20 games so far this season, compared to a league-high record of 16 last time out in his maiden campaign in North London.

Arsenal have conceded at least once in nine of their last 11 outings and have an inferior defensive record to Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at the top, but Cech is not concerned about his personal form and believes that the lack of clean sheets is easily explained.

"So far it's a kind of a different campaign because I think I have been doing well but if you take clean sheets, we had a run of games where we conceded at least one goal," he is quoted as saying by the London Evening Standard. "The most important thing is obviously that the team wins but it is good sometimes to have a clean sheet and that solid base at the back.

"We have conceded a number of penalties in games where the penalty was the only goal [we conceded], so sometimes you have these runs which are a bit unlucky against you but you would like to do something extra and find one extra save. Overall it is a season in which I am playing at the level I need to be at.

"You want to improve every game and keep the standard up the whole time - you don't want to have a period where you are not doing so well or you are not where you should be, which hasn't happened yet so hopefully I can keep like that."

Arsenal have kept six clean sheets in the Premier League this season in all - fewer than Chelsea's 11 and next-best Tottenham's eight.

Dan Crowley of Arsenal dribbles the ball during the Barclays Asia Trophy match between Arsenal and Singapore Select XI at National Stadium on July 15, 2015
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Chelsea21171345153052
2Tottenham HotspurSpurs21136243142945
3Liverpool21136249242545
4Arsenal21135348222644
5Manchester CityMan City21133541261542
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd21117332201240
7Everton219663223933
8West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom218582828029
9Stoke CityStoke217682733-627
10Burnley2182112331-826
11Bournemouth2174103037-725
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham2174102635-925
13Southampton216691926-724
14Watford2165102336-1323
15Leicester CityLeicester2156102434-1021
16Middlesbrough214891722-520
17Crystal Palace2144133040-1016
18Hull City2144132045-2516
19Sunderland2143142040-2015
20Swansea CitySwansea2143142349-2615