Speaking to The Standard, Harry Redknapp was keen to suggest that Chelsea’s form may change for the better if captain John Terry is re-instated into the side.
The former Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur boss, amongst others, is adamant that Blues boss Jose Mourinho may find his team find their feet in the Premier League if the central defender is brought back into the side to replace either Gary Cahill or Kurt Zouma, with most fans preferring the former to depart the starting XI.
Chelsea’s most recent loss came when they took a short flight to Portugal to come up against a Porto side who the current Premier League champions should have been able to beat. However, the hosts came out with a 2-1 with Willian netting the only goal for the visitors.
Chelsea’s next game is against Southampton in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. Changes are expected to be made following the loss in Europe and the dip in form from the ex-Champions League winners.
Redknapp said:
It is time for Chelsea to recall John Terry. If you look at Tuesday night, Branislav Ivanovic is a bigger problem than the centre-back positions. I thought he was the strongest right-back in the country a year ago but he had yet another horrendous night in Porto.
If you ask me to put my life on a game and I had to pick a team for England or Chelsea in a one-off match, John would captain it. There is no better English centre-half than John, even now. He has proven himself to be a winner and when things aren’t going well, you need characters to turn it around.
You know what you are going to get from people like him. They give you a consistency that teams need when performances are up and down — that’s how you improve things.
I am a big Jose Mourinho fan but he needs to get John back into his side. Leaving Terry out continues to be a strange decision.
