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For a man who laughed at Americans in the aftermath of 9/11, who allegedly slept with a teammate’s wife and has seen his mother and father convicted of different crimes, it is no surprise that John Terry’s retirement from international football has come in controversial fashion.
While Chelsea fans trash the FA verdict handing him a four-match ban, Liverpool fans cry foul at their man Luis Suarez having received an eight-match ban for a similar incident and former managers and teammates speak out in support of the man known as JT, the larger picture of the English football team’s future is being left out. The way in which Roy Hodgson and the English team lost the services of one of the best centre-backs the country ever had, is quite sad.
However, considering Rio Ferdinand’s age, the emergence of Gary Cahill and Joleon Lescott, and the promise of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, this could perhaps have been the best possible time for Terry to step down.
Hodgson no longer needs worry about the Terry-Ferdinand equation. He can focus on moving ahead and forging a stable centre-back partnership from among Cahill, Lescott and Phil Jagielka, with youngsters Jones and Smalling ready to fill in when back from injury. Hodgson could also choose to give a better chance to Micah Richards, who can play in the middle and at right back.
With focus clearly on qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil, Hodgson has a chance to mould a new backline over the course of the qualifying campaign.
Ashley Cole appears to be taking the Ryan Giggs approach of providing a supreme level of consistency with each passing year. Even if Cole were to get injured, Leighton Baines could fill that gap seamlessly. The Everton left-back is probably the unluckiest player of his generation. If it were not for Cole, he would have been an England regular for the best part of the last five-six years.
At right back, Glen Johnson somehow manages to stay in the side despite quite a few lacklustre showings. His ability going forward and his knack of springing up with long-range strikes for goal are quite encouraging at Liverpool, but for the national side, under pressure to defend a lot more, he invariably comes unstuck.
Perhaps he manages to hold onto that spot in the Three Lions side due to the dearth of replacements. Richards and Kyle Walker are probably the only other players capable of stepping in. Of them, Richards is no longer a first-choice at his club Manchester City with Maicon or Pablo Zabaleta preferred ahead of him by Roberto Mancini. Walker does play week in, week out for Tottenham Hotspur but there are still question marks about his defending.
Ryan Bertrand impressed in spells for Chelsea towards the end of last season and could be another candidate for the wide defensive berth. But the 23-year-old needs to put in a lot more work before he can overtake Johnson for the spot in the eleven.
But if he manages that, it could bring us, funnily enough, to a back four comprised of three Chelsea players even after Terry hanging up his boots. Hodgson seems likely to give a decent run to Cahill and Lescott looks like the preferred option to partner him. Cole seems quite capable of fending off Baines’ push for a starting berth and Bertrand has the talent to become an England regular at a spot that has been left largely unplugged after Gary Neville called it a day.
With a mixture of experienced stalwarts in Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Scott Parker and an exciting bunch of youngsters in Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Jack Rodwell and Jack Wilshere ready to step up, England can afford to look ahead to the future with optimism. Despite all the hue and cry made about Terry’s departure, make no mistake, the English game is looking better than it has for a long time in international football.
So then, Chelsea fans, why all the grumbling about Terry’s verdict? Or is it just a case of club over country? It could indeed be, considering the fact that most Chelsea fans outside England do not support the Three Lions at the international stage.
Chelsea will indeed miss their skipper for the four matches he sits out, provided he does not appeal or that the appeal is turned down. But in the longer run, with Terry having called time on his international career, he will be able to give a lot more to the Blues. He can put his feet up and relax during the international breaks without worrying about jet lag or injury and can dedicate more time to his recovery and fitness routines.
A healthier, fitter Terry capable of playing more games per season and with the possibility of adding another year or two to his club career… now, is that not what every Chelsea fan wants as well? So finally, in hindsight, well done FA, well done.
