Cech - Failure not an option

Petr Cech has insisted Chelsea's season of transition is no excuse for them ending up empty-handed after seeing their squad bolstered by further reinforcements.

The past 48 hours have seen the Blues boosted both by the signing of Gary Cahill and the even more eagerly-anticipated return of Michael Essien from injury. Cahill was the fourth major capture of the Andre Villas-Boas era as the Portuguese continues his rebuilding job at Stamford Bridge, one that has witnessed plenty of teething problems.

The Blues have never gone two successive seasons without lifting a trophy since Roman Abramovich bought the club and goalkeeper Cech said: "We set a standard in recent years, and that's the way it is at a big club - especially here."

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