Skip to content

Gary Cahill: Chelsea are more 'ruthless' this season

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Chelsea's Gary Cahill thinks Nemanja Matic has been an outstanding for the club this season and could easily have been nominated for player of the season

Gary Cahill believes the mistakes of last season have made Chelsea more “ruthless” in their pursuit of Premier League glory this campaign.

The Blues finished third in Jose Mourinho’s first season back at Stamford Bridge, but have led the table since the end of August this time round and currently sit seven points clear with a game in hand on all their rivals.

And Chelsea's efficient streak certainly showed through last Sunday, when they overcame QPR 1-0 at Loftus Road thanks to a late Cesc Fabregas strike – with Cahill telling Soccer Saturday it was the type of result that has fired Chelsea to the top.

“I think we’re more ruthless,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot from last season when he dropped a good few points in games against teams we should have been beating.

"I think that stuck in our heads when we go to tough places now, like at QPR. We were at different ends of the table but the game was even and tight until the end.”

He added: “There’s so much competition (in the Premier League) so we should be proud to have achieved what we’ve done since the start of the season.

“But the crunch comes now. The hard work is still to be done and we don’t want to throw that away.”

Cahill has largely been a mainstay of Chelsea’s defence since he signed from Bolton in January 2012, winning the FA Cup and Champions League in his first season and the Europa League the following year.

But the emergence of Kurt Zouma this season has seen his place come under threat on occasion, although the 29-year-old England international is confident he will retain his place - and is expected to start against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

Live Ford Saturday Night Football

“You have to keep going and battling to try and keep hold of the shirt,” said Cahill. “I feel as though the period of time I’ve been at Chelsea has been a great success.

“Personally I’ve played the majority of games and managed to get a few trophies along the way, which I’m really pleased about.

“But I want to keep progressing season after season. What I’ve already won at Chelsea is fantastic, but we know winning cups is different to the league.

“With the Premier League you come in day to day and work hard the whole season keeping fit and doing everything you possible can do.

"So in terms of that the reward at the end is massive.”

Watch the full interview with Gary Cahill on Gilette Soccer Saturday from 12pm on Sky Sports News HQ AND see Chelsea's Saturday Night Football clash with Manchester United live from 4.45pm on Sky Sports 1 HD

Chelsea v Man Utd
Chelsea v Man Utd

Don't miss Chelsea v Man Utd. Watch it without a contract on NOW TV with a Sky Sports Day Pass.

Around Sky