It was a decade ago that John Terry, who has captained Chelsea 528 times, first learned the tricks of the role under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho.
After impressing Mourinho upon inheriting the armband from Marcel Desailly, the manager wanted to see Terry evolve from a very good centre half into a great captain, using his profile to control games and influence decisions in the way Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Alan Shearer did.
Like them, Terry proved quite an expert. It is partly why he has been one of English football’s most successful modern captains and why Fabio Capello risked — and lost — his job trying to restore him as England skipper.
It is also why Mourinho has promised another one-year deal to the defender, who turns 35 this year.
Terry understands what his manager wants. This includes turning the heat on officials, as he did on Wednesday against Paris Saint-Germain when he led nine excited team-mates in pursuit of referee Bjorn Kuipers to ensure Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off.
Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona knew how to exaggerate fouls, pressure the referee and cultivate their reputation as the team most sinned against. Mourinho and PSG midfielder Thiago Motta discovered this when they were at Inter Milan. No-one can make slight contact appear quite as painful as Sergio Busquets.
Chelsea went close up with Barca at times, including the nights when Tom Henning Ovrebo found infamy and Terry was sent off for kicking Alexis Sanchez and banned for the Champions League final.
Everyone is at it, as Terry said. Everyone always has been, to some degree. But Chelsea always manage to offend. Even when there is much to admire about them.
Graeme Souness claimed it’s ‘not the British way’ but traditional sporting integrity has faded from view. Winning matters more than ever. Managers find ways to do it.
(dailymail.co.uk)
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