John Terry’s Chelsea FC Career Is At An End
With John Terry taking a spot on the bench in recent games, his time at Chelsea may be reaching its denouement
We all knew this day would eventually come when someone or the other would have to address the elephant in the room. Today I will be joining the folks who have done so with a heavy heart. With the recent developments, it can be said that John Terry’s career at Chelsea FC may well be coming to its end after this season.
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Chelsea against Arsenal is one of those fixtures where Terry’s name, some seasons back, would have been at the top of the team sheet alongside a bracketed capital ‘C’. But times have changed and Terry has gone from being a crucial player in derbies to being sat on the bench, a bench from where all he can do is think of the glorious past gone by.
At the age of 34, it seems as though the meter of his gas tank is finally heading towards the red mark and with it we will witness one of the best English defenders retire from the beautiful game, leaving behind a truck load of memories.
It is quite surprising that I have to write this article at this moment given that he had a stellar Premier League-winning season last time out. Terry played each and every match in the successful campaign and was a stalwart in an impregnable Chelsea defense.
This season, however, he has not been the same (much like the rest of his team). The opposition have been attacking the slow paced Chelsea defense and Terry seems to be unable to cope with such rapid and organized assaults, conceding goals at a rate that the Blues have not experienced for some time.
As the rival teams have supposedly found a key to unlocking Chelsea, the Blues also have to evolve and develop their systems to counter and compete at the very highest level. That too with efficiency. As unfortunate as it may be, Terry will not be a part of the Chelsea machinery anymore. Although he maintains a good shape, when he is leading the defensive line the whole rear-guard seems totally bereft of any pace.
It can be said that with the recent acquisitions and without the club captain, the Chelsea defense seems better off
As long as the attackers are in front of Terry, he will be able to defend successfully, but if any of them run behind the Englishman, Terry suddenly finds himself in no man’s land with no way back. During Saturday’s clash with Arsenal, Kurt Zouma was able to defend an on-rushing Walcott with a precise tackle while pedaling back. Put Terry in the same situation and Walcott would most probably be having a one-on-one with the goalkeeper while the Englishman hopelessly watched on.
It can be said that with the recent acquisitions and without the club captain, the Chelsea defense seems better off. They have an even distribution of pace and shape. Cahill is a carbon copy of Terry in his prime and holds the line together. Zouma is blessed with a sturdy physical presence and pace, enabling him to deal with the balls over the top. With full-backs like Cesar Azpilicueta and Abdul Baba Rahman, this defensive partnership seems more capable of dealing with the present and contemporary characteristics of the modern game.
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With his recent tinkering of the team, Jose Mourinho has signaled that he is also preparing the team for a life without Terry. He has given the captain’s armband to Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill and it can be assumed that one of them will be taking the mantle after Terry’s eventual departure. Zouma has started to assert his influence on the team sheet as well while he has backed up his selection with outstanding performances in recent fixtures.
This season was anyway expected to be Terry’s last but it looks like he will be used as a fringe player rather than a regular one. Having said that, he will most definitely play a key role behind the scenes, where he’ll be an important and inspirational figure in the dressing room, motivating the new generation of players. Unfortunately, his playing time may be limited to an occasional cameo here and there as Mourinho combats fatigue.
Chelsea are heading in a new direction under their Portuguese boss but Terry’s long, eventful and successful journey with the Blues seems to be on the home straight. Let’s just try to enjoy and capture as many memories as we can by witnessing the ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ in what will possibly be his final season at Stamford Bridge.
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