John Terry Pushing Chelsea FC To A Quadruple
Chelsea FC captain John Terry spoke to ChelseaFC.com about the Blues’ quadruple chances ahead of the matchup against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semifinals. Terry never explicitly says that the Blues are aiming for the quadruple or that they will win it, but he does say that they are motivated to do so.
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Aside from stating the obvious about the team’s dressing room motivation, Terry is correct in saying that the Blues are exactly where they want to be in all competitions. Terry said that the Blues have “top, top players but, as I’ve said before, until we go and win things, it’s not there yet, and that will be the test”. He continued and said, “There’s a motivation in the dressing room to win the league and push on in the Capital One Cup, Champions League and FA Cup. At this stage, to still be involved in all competitions is where you want to be, and it’s down to big players to step up”.
They currently sit first in the Premier League table with a five point difference and a 9-goal difference ahead of Manchester City. They also face City on January in a true 6-pointer of a match that many are billing as the title decider.
By dersportmanager [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsObviously the title is not won in January but if the Blues win and take a eight point lead, then it will be increasingly difficult for City to recover. The opposite scenario would see City just two points behind the Blues and in prime position to take the lead.
In the FA Cup, they face Bradford City in the Fourth round this upcoming Saturday. No offense to The Bantams of Bradford but the Blues should have little trouble dispatching the League One side. The match is being played at Stamford Bridge as well so this should be an excellent chance to give John Terry a rest and blood in some of they youngsters.
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The Champions League does not kick off for another three weeks but the Blues will face a familiar opponent in Paris Saint Germain in the first stage of the knockout rounds. They abused John Terry and the defense in the first leg last season in Paris but were shut out in the second. It is not the easiest of matchups but the Blues were able to overcome Les Bleus with a far less cohesive team and without one of the most prolific strikers in Europe in Diego Costa.
The Blues follow up their date with Bradford City with the second leg of the league cup semifinal against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool were far and away the better side on Tuesday but they were still only able to salvage a draw thanks to a tremendous effort from Thibaut Courtois. It was not a vintage performance from a nervous looking Chelsea backline but with all things equal and the Blues holding a vital away goal if it comes down to it then they are in excellent position to book a place at Wembley Stadium.
Things are looking peachy at Stamford Bridge and there is an air of positive energy around the team. They have not been at their best in recent weeks save for the matches against Swansea City and Watford but they have won three in a row prior to the draw with Liverpool. They have looked fatigued at times and labored to the win over Newcastle but they are finding ways to get results when they do not play well and that is the mark of a champion.
John Terry knows as well as anyone that you cannot expect to play at your best every match but the great teams find ways to overcome that and win anyway. The Blues, as Terry said, are a collection of top, top players. They have great players at nearly every position and have world class players to bring off the bench in crunch time. But what will transform them from a collection of great players to a great team is the trophies they win.
They were in a similar position last season in all competitions but were unable to close the deal in any of them and ended the season with no silverware. It is unacceptable for the Blues to repeat that feat this season and they must capitalize on the golden opportunity they have in front of them. It may be unrealistic to expect Chelsea to win all four trophies but what good is it being a supporter if you cannot dream big?