Whilst the focus for Sunday’s highly anticipated clash with Manchester United will be predominantly placed on Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge following his sacking last December, former Chelsea midfielder Deco believes Antonio Conte should focus on John Terry.
As reported by the Evening Standard, Deco insisted that the Chelsea captain must return to the starting lineup if he is fully fit.
Terry has returned to full training and appears to have fully recovered from an ankle injury he sustained during the latter stages of Chelsea’s draw with Swansea in September.
However following Conte’s shift to a 3-4-3 formation, which has seen Chelsea keep two consecutive clean sheets in successive victories over Hull and Leicester respectively, Terry’s place in the side is not guaranteed.
But Deco, who featured in Mourinho’s Champions League-winning side at Porto in 2004 before joining up with him once again at Chelsea from 2008-2010, believes Terry is a vital player for the club.
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.
Conte, however, gave nothing away speaking after last weekend’s victory over Leicester, as to who he would start against United this weekend, stating:
I have four central defenders and I have to take the best decision for three. One must go on the bench.
Deco, though, believes Conte needs players of Terry’s calibre in his side to lead the team.
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.
