Let's try to win the Europa League

It's a great disappointment we won't be able to retain the title but what can you do; this stuff just happens. On the other hand, if we had been eliminated in, say, the eight final or quarter final, the disappointment would have been just as bad, because for a club of Chelsea's capabilities it would have been no great success anyway. Of course we're all gutted that we're out but we're well aware of the fact that it wasn't the last game that precluded our advancement. It was simply too late then.

Our 2-2 draw with Juventus right at the start, for example, we'd been winning 2-0 when we suddenly lost grip. Had we won, they'd have one point less and we'd have two more now. That would have been enough for advancement. The two defeats away from home, against Donetsk and Juventus, were pivotal as well.

We were during the half-time break, the screens at the stadium were showing scores of ongoing matches. After that we didn't get any official information but you could tell clearly from the fans' reaction. The atmosphere was subdued so I assumed things weren't looking bright. If Donetsk had been in the lead, people would have been ecstatic. A number of fans even left the stadium before full-time, and by the end we all knew we were out. If we hadn't been, people would most likely have sprung up to their feet and run over to us in joy. That did not happen.

We had braced ourselves for the possibility. It's deceptive to rely on someone else's help. We managed to play out part successfully, but the rest was beyond our control. All the damage had been done in the previous games.

We finally performed according to expectations. We put the opponent under pressure, made him make mistakes, and scored from our goal chances. We scored a lot, as a matter of fact, but we're going to have to prove ourselves in the upcoming Premier League match against Sunderland and then during the World Club Cup in Japan. I firmly believe we'll be able to cope with it psychologically.

I'm glad I could take one for the team. If I hadn't saved it everything might have been much harder for us.

I'd seen a couple of his penalty kicks. He tends to switch sides a lot but I waited till the last moment and decided accordingly.

It's still a European cup where a trophy can be won. We haven't gotten the chance to participate in this competition in the 9 years that I've been here, so why not win it now? The Europa League title is as good as any.

Yes, I've thought of that. I've never played for Chelsea against a Czech team so we'll see what the draw is.

That will indeed be a problem because the Premier league and the English Association in general do not take championships into account. The dates are set and that's the end of it. As a result, earlier this season Newcastle had a UEFA game abroad on a Thursday, only to be forced to play the first game of the round on Saturday afternoon. That's hard to imagine.

There ought to be. The Germans arrange their league game dates respectively, Shakhtar Donetsk had lots of games on Fridays already before the Champions League. If the dates were slightly adjusted for the participants of championships, it would definitely be beneficial. Even one day makes a difference. Meanwhile, we're playing Sunderland on Saturday and have to leave for Japan right after the game, despite the fact that it could have been rescheduled.