Cech has improved Arsenal’s mental strength – Walcott

Theo Walcott says Petr Cech has helped raise Arsenal’s mental toughness to the highest level it has been in the forward’s 10 years at the club.

Cech is the only current member of the Arsenal squad to have won the Premier League, and Walcott said his experience is vital as the team tries to win the title for the first time since 2004.

The goalkeeper made a number of key saves in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Stoke, a game that Walcott said showcased the team’s increased maturity.

“The mental strength in our dressing room is the strongest it has ever been. When you have the likes of Petr Cech coming in as well, he only enhances that,” Walcott told the club’s official website.

“He has lifted everybody’s heads up, saying this is a very good point and that nobody tends to win here. We just have to look at him because he has been at the top level and won many things so if we have the belief that he has got, we can push on.”

Walcott said there were “mixed emotions in the dressing room” after the game at the Britannia, where Arsenal have not won since 2010.

It was the Gunners’ second straight draw after conceding a late equaliser against Liverpool on Wednesday. While the players were disappointed not to get a win, Walcott said they showed they could cope much better with a physical Stoke team than in years past.