Captain, Leader, Legend: Why Terry’s Absence Will Be A Boon For Chelsea Against Arsenal

It wasn’t really a surprise seeing John Terry miss out on a few games for Chelsea. The 35-year-old is not the youngest defender in the Premier League anymore and injuries will be a parcel of his final year or so with the Blues.

The Chelsea captain was not part of the side that played against Liverpool, and his absence showed. While the defender left on crutches against Swansea, that also meant Chelsea would have a big void to fill in the heart of the defence for the upcoming games.

As Chelsea look to face Arsenal over the weekend, the Blues hoped that Terry makes a swift return to the side and for good reason, but according to the reports from the Guardian, Terry has failed to recover and will be missing the London Derby.

Captain, leader, legend

John Terry has spent almost all of his career as a Blue, barring a stint at Nottingham Forest. The Chelsea captain has seen the rise of the side and picked up Champions League and Premier League titles but it is his experience that would be the most beneficial to the side.

The 35-year-old has played over 700 games for the Blues and is a calming influence for the side. If we are to look back at the Liverpool game, Terry would have ensured someone was marking Dejan Lovren as the Croatian slotted in the first goal for the Reds.

Terry also knows the game really well. The Englishman might not be the fastest defender at the moment but he has great positional sense, something that the likes of David Luiz and Gary Cahill lack. Think about it, Terry would bark out orders on N’Golo Kante or other players to ensure Arsenal do not find any space to attack.

He is great in set-pieces in both attack and defence and this is certain that Terry would have been a threat against the Arsenal defence as well during corners. That is another area where Chelsea will be lacking, even though Gary Cahill did score in the EFL Cup game against Leicester City.

The 35-year-old also is someone who can charge the team up. Chelsea lack leaders on the pitch and Terry would be the one player that everyone would look to, and hope he can lead them on a charge. The Blues do have a decent record against Arsenal but the lack of Terry in the heart of the defence would be a major blow for the side.

David Luiz and Gary Cahill do not provide a lot of confidence as a centre-back pairing and with no Petr Cech in the side anymore, there really is a lack of leaders in the Chelsea side.

Age might not be on Terry’s side but he still is one of the best defenders in the Premier League. As Chelsea set to face an Arsenal side that is in goal scoring mood, the Blues will be hoping to keep Arsenal’s talisman silent throughout the game.