Revealed: How Chelsea have finally moved into a post-Terry era
The Blues captain is often described as “Mr Chelsea” by his colleagues, but there are signs that the transition has begun at Stamford Bridge for life after his departure
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If Didier Drogba is the king of Stamford Bridge, then it is hard to think what title befits John Terry the most. He is the club’s most successful captain and has been a mainstay in the back line at Chelsea for over 20 years.
Terry will go down in Chelsea folklore, but despite his legendary status, a pragmatic new boss in Antonio Conte is beginning to edge out the veteran while looking for others to fill leadership roles on the pitch.
Conte needed Terry to start his opening four league games as he scrambled around in the transfer market for a centre-back, ultimately ending up with David Luiz, who returned from Paris Saint-Germain after the Blues had failed to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.
Chelsea were undefeated in their opening four games with Terry starting each one, but a switch to a 3-4-3 formation has since seen the club captain play a back up role to Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta and Luiz.
Terry almost left Chelsea at the end of last season with his contract running down and no sign of renewal talks, but Conte saw the 35-year-old as useful member of his future plans. Terry was motivated by the love of his club as he re-signed for another year – despite less money and playing time being written into the deal.
After a period of reliance on Terry at the start of the season, it looks like Conte is successfully moving into a post-Terry era, having found leaders on the pitch like Luiz and Cahill – with increasing options coming in at centre-back as Kurt Zouma approaches full fitness.
His former defensive partner William Gallas got a rare interview with Terry on French television, which interestingly revealed how magnanimously he is handling the transition from box office attraction to modest background figure.
“In the nicest way I hope I don’t get back into the team, because it means we are winning football matches,” Terry told SFR Sports. “Maybe I would feel different if I’m 19, 20 or 23. I think that maturity comes when you near the end of your career.
“It’s going to sound crazy, but if I don’t get back into the team it means Chelsea are winning and at the minute we are not conceding goals; it possibly means we are going to win the league.
“I am in a position where the team is playing unbelievablely well and not conceding goals, and I can’t get in the team. But that’s a good thing. I am so happy for the boys. Sitting there watching, you appreciate how well they are playing.
“The manager has been straight with me, like he was when I met him in the summer. If you are good enough, you play. David [Luiz] is playing unbelievable, Gary Cahill is playing the same, unbelievable, Cesar Azpilicueta is unbelievable.”
Despite being club captain, Terry rarely does interviews anymore, even when he plays, but away from the cameras he never avoids casual conversations with fans, journalists or club staff. His background role extends to how he works off the pitch and he diligently ensures that Stamford Bridge is a great place to be around for all connected with the club.
He will find it tough to leave Chelsea, but would be happier doing so when his club are in a healthy position. Perhaps it was part of his personal project to get the Blues back to where they belong after a season to forget last year.
Chelsea haven’t started with Terry in any of their last nine league games, and in that period they went on a seven-game winning streak. Terry’s lack of playing time has given several Chinese Super League clubs hope that they can tempt him into a move after they failed to convince him last summer.
A divorce of Terry and Chelsea after 26 years seems like a rather less painful prospect than it did last season as Conte has the Blues playing again with identity and swagger.
Terry, who is dubbed “captain, leader, legend” by supporters, appears to be serene about his Chelsea future with coaching roles likely to be available in the future, even if he leaves for a couple of years.
Chelsea have Paulo Ferreira, Jody Morris and Carlo Cudicini as just some of the ex-players still at the club in non-playing roles – Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Terry could all be next and have been offered fast-track coaching courses by the Football Association.
Gianfranco Zola was impressed with Chelsea’s new structure that develops ex-players into coaches and compared it to AC Milan in the early 2000s. He thinks that respect for legacy can help them catch up with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool – who are lauded for their cultural and historic influence in English football.
Meanwhile, it has become clear that Terry is incapable of playing two matches a week anymore and he has suffered two injuries already this season. This might be another sign that he should look for a slower pace of football.
His footballing brain is still there and he has still won three and drawn one in his league starts this season. Conte often talks about his captain as being huge to the club off the pitch, but Terry himself believes he can play on for two more years.
“I still want to play for a couple more years, whether that is here at Chelsea or somewhere abroad, I don’t know. It’s an option,” Terry continued in his chat with Gallas.
Another important transition is that Chelsea are utilising their FA Youth Cup and Uefa Youth League winning academy more effectively in the past year, as Conte (and Guus Hiddink) has successfully eased several young players into top-flight football.
Nathaniel Chalobah and Ola Aina have emerged as first-team players this season, Ruben Loftus-Cheek made his breakthrough last term, while Tammy Abraham and Andreas Christensen are waiting to fight for a place next season under Conte.
Terry has been hugely supportive of the academy project as the club looked to find “the next John Terry,” and it looks like they are close to finding one or more players who can share that weight of responsibility.
As Conte and club owner Roman Abramovich have put structures in place to become less reliant on Terry for a club identity, the player himself is becoming increasingly more able to leave the club on amicable terms.
It wouldn’t be a surprise, therefore, to see Terry winning trophies in a different club’s shirt, within the next year, for the first time in his illustrious career.
