We had two games in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday in very different climates. The UEFA Youth League fixture at lunchtime reminded me of my early days growing up and playing in Czech Republic. We used to play and train outside when it was minus 15. All you can do is keep moving! That’s the key.

Knowing the hacks

Of course, for the goalkeeper it’s hard, but when you get used to frozen pitches and playing on the snow and cold weather, there are so many hacks you can use to make yourself warmer.

We used to use paper and plastic bags on our feet. We would have a layer of socks, then a paper outsole and then a plastic bag to keep it dry. Then we would put a second pair of socks on and use a size bigger pair of boots your feet could fit in.

It worked to a certain extent. As a goalkeeper I used to have a normal pair of gloves inside my goalkeeping gloves, or even rubber gloves, because otherwise you had no chance of keeping your hands warm for more than 10 minutes.

For the outfield players it’s much easier. Once you run it’s a different feeling, and you can get your chest pumping. In goal it’s much harder.

We had snoods and hats, too. That was compulsory otherwise you would not survive. Or headbands to warm your ears. Ears are what suffer the most! We would have special waterproof tracksuits as well. It was something you had to get used to quickly growing up in the Czech Republic.

Later in the day, for the men’s game, the roof at the stadium was closed and there was heating inside. It was about 15 degrees, compared to minus 15 at the Youth League game! It was quite pleasant to watch yesterday’s game without winter coats and hats, but at the Youth League game, you would not survive without them.

Eastern Europe vs Newcastle

It’s a matter of perspective, as well. Sometimes in England you don’t have minus temperatures, but it can be around one degree, raining and with a cold wind, and that can feel 10 times worse when it’s minus 10 on a nice sunny day. I can tell you if you go to Newcastle in December, it’s one degree with a cold wind and it starts drizzling, it is much worse than running in Czech Republic in minus 20.

Places with extreme weather need temperature controls. If you look at the next World Cup they will have air conditioning to deal with the heat rather than the cold. It’s dangerous for players to play in severe conditions, so you will probably see more and more technology used to air condition stadiums.

The first time I remember it happening was when we played in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium on our 2009 pre-season tour of America. There was thunder and lightening and extreme heat, so they shut the roof and put the air conditioning on. It was the first time we had a taste of something like that, and I have to say I had no issue with it!

To Russia with love

We had a huge amount of fans at the game last night, from the UK, around Europe and locals, and we always appreciate them. For us as a club and for the players you notice. It’s really nice.

Nowadays you appreciate anyone coming to the stadium even more because we are in these unprecedented times. It’s not just a case of jumping on a plane and going, now you have to do the tests, check the rules, maybe even quarantine, but people still go because they want to support the team and watch the game. That’s a big part of it.

I have really appreciated the commitment and support of our fans since they were able to return to stadiums. You know some people know in advance they will have to quarantine, and that’s a big commitment, so we thank everyone who makes such an effort to watch Chelsea and support the players.