Football
9y

Chelsea's Mourinho the best manager I ever played under, says John Terry

Chelsea captain John Terry believes manager Jose Mourinho is the best coach he's ever played under "by a long way."

Terry played in every minute of Chelsea's dominant 2014-15 title success, defying the opinion of former Blues boss Rafael Benitez who stated his belief that the experienced defender was no longer capable of playing two games in a week.

Mourinho's success in getting the best out of 34-year-old Terry was one of the primary reasons Chelsea were crowned as champions, and the Blues skipper was quick to pay tribute to his manager in an interview with talkSPORT.

"Jose coming back was the best decision ever, not only for me personally but for the club as well," Terry declared. "What he brings around the training ground is fantastic and he is a born winner.

"He doesn't give up for one minute, even after we had won the league. Training was still intense, he set us targets. He demands the best from everyone day in, day out and will not allow anyone to take their foot off the gas. That sets him apart from the rest.

"In those big games against our big competitors, we haven't lost any of those games for two seasons. That is some going and he goes into so much detail before those games and gives us as players every possibility to be at our best.

"For me, he is the best manager I have played under by a long way. He is different class. Not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well. He has a personal touch to him, but you don't want to upset him either."

Terry went on to reflect on his difficult spell under Benitez's guidance during the 2012-13 season, as he suggested the Spaniard failed to give him an opportunity to prove he could still influence the Chelsea team during his time as Stamford Bridge boss.

"When Rafa came in, I was on the sidelines with an injury and I didn't get a chance to impress him early on," Terry reflected. "As a player, you can never doubt yourself and when I got my chances under Rafa, I took them.

"He decided not to play me and tried to write me off to an extent. I can only let my football do the talking and this has been a very good season for me and hopefully I will be able to continue for a little longer.

"I would love to finish my career at Chelsea and maybe there is a time when I look to go to play in America or whatever might be best for my family at the time.

"Hopefully I have a couple of years left at least. I always thought I could get to age of 35 and still [be] playing and I am getting close to that now."

Terry added his hope that this Chelsea team has the potential to develop into the best the club has seen, as he believes Mourinho's second title-winning team could be good enough to eclipse his first trophy-winning team as Blues boss.

"I think you look back at our squad in 2004-05 and 2005-06, we were at the peak at the time," he added. "You look back at some of the players for that era. We set some great targets for this generation to achieve and this team is doing that now.

"Looking at this squad now, I think this squad has he potential to do a lot more than we did in the past, well beyond my playing days.

"It is not just the players that have done so well for us this season. There are so many young lads who could make the breakthrough to the team, too many to mention. It is harder than ever for them to breakthrough as you don't get five games to find your feet any more, but the rewards are greater than ever as well."

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