Tuesday, 18 August 2015

John Terry: Chelsea captain 'must accept not having major role'

John Terry on the Chelsea substitutes bench

Chelsea captain John Terry must get used to no longer being a key figure on the pitch under manager Jose Mourinho, says BBC football pundit John Hartson.

Terry, 34, was substituted by Mourinho at half-time in Chelsea's 3-0 defeat at Manchester City last Sunday.
"It is likely that Jose feels John's age is starting to catch up with him and he won't play the same major role in the future," Hartson told BBC Sport.
"He can't give Chelsea what he gave them two or three years ago."
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Manchester City 3-0 Chelsea: Jose Mourinho explains John Terry decision
Mourinho's decision to take Terry off - the first time he has substituted him in 176 games - has been interpreted as a statement to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich about the need to strengthen their squad.
But former Wales striker Hartson claims Terry's substitution is "not a smokescreen for anything else" and merely a reflection of the stage the former England captain is at in his career.
"Surely if Mourinho wanted more players he could just sit down privately and talk to the chairman about it," Hartson added.
"I think John still has a lot to offer Chelsea but I don't agree with the pundits who said Jose was trying to make a statement about his squad needing strengthening by taking him off

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