Former Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson hails Chelsea’s John Terry, predicts a return to traditional defending
By George Perry
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson hailed John Terry for his traditional defensive abilities and leadership. Wilson predicts those attributes may soon be in demand again in the Premier League.
John Terry has spent far more time working on his coaching badges than playing for Chelsea this season. A series of minor injuries interrupted his training rhythm. But more than anything else, Antonio Conte’s defensive system had little room for the 36-year old captain. Terry is a traditional English centre-back: solid in defence, but without the pace and ball skill today’s Premier League demands.
Terry’s response to living on the sidelines exemplifies his other defining attribute: selfless leadership. He has said that as much as he would like to play, the most important thing is that Chelsea are winning.
Bob Wilson played 234 games in goal over 11 years for Arsenal. Having played in an era of classical centre-backs, Wilson recognizes John Terry as the modern archetype of that player.
"I would like John Terry in there because of what he provides… I’m always basing my defensive structure on what I experienced 45 years ago with a captain that we had who was a complete leader. You need leaders and you particularly need them in a defensive position. – The Blue Lions"
Wilson acknowledged that the game has left Terry behind. Modern centre-backs need to be able to play the ball out with nearly as much skill as a midfielder. However, that does not change the core responsibility of a centre-back: defending their goalkeeper.
"It slightly worries me that you are not getting as many true defenders. They are thinking too much of the attack or the counter-attack than they are of their priority as a defender. The priority of a defender is to keep the ball out of the net… The more your defenders are not just basically defending, the more you are in danger."
Wilson credited Leicester City’s very-traditional centre-backs Wes Morgan and Robert Huth for winning last year’s title. Despite their lack of ball skills they regularly won the ball in the air and on the ground. Their mastery of core defensive skills enabled the devastating counter-attacks.
Chelsea’s current defensive line is very much a transition piece. They bridge the gap from the traditional styles of John Terry and Gary Cahill to the more mobile, ball-savvy future of the back-three.
When Kurt Zouma takes his place in the starting XI, he will take the role of the highly physical defensive force. He is much better with the ball than Terry or Cahill, as he has shown in recent games, but has the size and presence of a traditional defender. Andreas Christensen and Nathan Ake will be the leading-edge centre-backs, with the build and skill-set more like midfielders than traditional defenders.
Bob Wilson cautioned that this change in defensive priorities creates new vulnerabilities for managers to exploit. Managers will target the openings that teams create when they play out from the back. This may herald a return to defensively-oriented defenders.
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“If I was in the management game now I’d be looking very carefully at defenders in the modern game overplaying, being over-sophisticated rather than just defending the goal and then thinking of the way you should go forward,” Wilson warned.