As Chelsea FC prepare themselves for an away trip to Paris, the Blues know that they would have to do without their leader and captain John Terry. In fact, the 35-year-old has not even been included in the squad for the Champions League clash against PSG.
Terry suffered a hamstring injury in Chelsea’s 5-1 thumping of Newcastle United, after a rather awkward tussle with Aleksandar Mitrovic on the pitch on Saturday. The Chelsea captain was put through a few tests on Monday which made it clear that he would not be able to take part in the PSG game.
“It was not a decision made by me because he [Terry] was having too much trouble to travel,” Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink was quoted saying on Sky Sports. “The decision was made to leave him at home. He was convinced he could not be of worth for the team at the moment.”
Hiddink taking precautions in defence
In the Newcastle game, right back Branislav Ivanovic was pushed to central defence beside Gary Cahill, and left back Cesar Azpilicueta was shifted to right back, while left fullback Baba Rahman was brought on for the injured Terry. Chelsea are set to play the same defensive combination against PSG while Hiddink claims that he has been preparing the squad in case it suffers further injuries.
“We had the problem in the previous game against Newcastle and we have practiced, not because one player got an injury, but we do a lot of practising where we put other people in central defence,” he said. “So it was not a surprise for the players that we had to make some changes. Of course, not having John is a bit of a set-back, as a leader.”
Are the old Chelsea back?
It has been amply clear that Chelsea FC have not exactly been at their best this season. Poor performances on a regular basis have seen them end up in a relegation dogfight despite winning the Premier League last season. However, they seem to have gradually improved their form under the tutelage of Guus Hiddink.
To top that off, the 5-1 win over Newcastle United would have given them a big morale boost ahead of their Champions League clash. However, it would be interesting to see how the Blues react when they have to face a difficult opposition away from home in the Champions League.
