Chelsea must forget about Jose Mourinho’s return and focus on John Terry ahead of Manchester United clash, says Deco

EXCLUSIVE
Flashback | John Terry with Jose Mourinho last year
WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images
Tom Collomosse20 October 2016

The return of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge will set the tone for the weekend in the Premier League but according to one of his allies, another Chelsea great may be just as influential.

Mourinho will be back at Chelsea for the first time since his acrimonious departure last December — the second time he had been sacked by the club — as he seeks to guide Manchester United to the win that will show his old bosses what they are missing.

But according to Deco, who won the Champions League under Mourinho at Porto in 2004, and also played for Chelsea from 2008-10, the Blues must forget about their former manager and focus instead on the future of John Terry.

Terry made his Chelsea debut in 1998 and has since won 14 major trophies in a hugely successful period with the club. For a time last season, it appeared as though his contract would not be renewed, only for the hierarchy to have a change of heart and offer him another one-year deal.

Yet where Terry fits into Antonio Conte’s plans in the long term is a matter for debate. The Italian has recently introduced the three-man defence that served him so well with Juventus and brought qualified success for Italy at Euro 2016 last summer, where they defeated Belgium and Spain before falling to Germany in the quarter-finals.

Terry is fit again after an ankle injury but is fighting with David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill for a starting spot. Mourinho’s best Chelsea teams were built on Terry’s excellence at the back but life appears different these days.

Jose Mourinho's best Chelsea moments - In pictures

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According to Deco, however, the equation is simple: if Terry is ready, he should play. The former Barcelona and Portugal midfielder told Standard Sport: “If he is playing well, he needs to stay and play because he is a legend, a true captain. He is one of the best I have ever played with.

“He is a fantastic guy who is very important to the team and the club. He is a leader and when you have a player like him, you need to keep him for as long as you can, for as long as he can play.

“Players like this have the qualities to set an example for their team-mates. They train well every time, they work hard and they want to win all games — even in training sessions. This is why they become captains, because these are the qualities you need to have.”

Though Conte expressed admiration for Terry’s “English spirit”, he stopped short of indicating whether the 35-year-old would return to the starting XI for the United game. Speaking after last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Leicester, Conte said: “I have four central defenders and I have to take the best decision for three. One must go on the bench.”

Given the pair’s shared history, it would feel odd if Terry were not involved on Sunday. One mightily important figure in the club’s history in charge of the opposition, another on the Chelsea bench.

Deco is involved in Star Sixes, the first ever competitive world tournament for iconic former players. For further information visit starsixes.com or theo2.co.uk/starsixes.

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