He might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but without a doubt John Terry has been magnificent for Chelsea, since he made his first appearance in the league cup in 1998. Chelsea’s most successful captain in history has been handed back the England captaincy, which was a huge mistake.
He is a player that polarises people rather than bring them together, and for someone who’s supposed to lead a team, this is definitely not a desired trait for a captain. He is that type of character that will have an effect on the team. “As we get older, we live and learn. We move on. As a man, as a player, we can see I’ve moved on, on and off the field.” were John Terry’s words at a press conference this week but only people close to him can testify to any change in the captain.
Capello is not short of people willing to step up and lead. Gerrard is one of those I feel could do the job. If you think about it, even Liverpool’s captain fantastic has not been fantastic for the national team, but maybe appointing him was not going to be as controversial. John Terry was not exactly jumping for joy at the appointment and from what he said I think he would have preferred the spotlight to be on someone else.
Capello will be hoping for a good John Terry effect at the Millennium stadium and the assurance of a solid defence against a potent looking Wales.
Thandaninkosi Moyo