John Terry has ruled out the prospect of making a return for the England national team in the aftermath of his virtuoso display for Chelsea in their League Cup triumph at Wembley.
The Blues skipper scored the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur to secure the season’s first piece of silverware but insists that an appearance under the iconic arch in England colours isn’t on the cards, per Neil Ashton of the MailOnline:
No, is the simple answer, I don’t want to go into it right now.
Being back at Wembley, the atmosphere, the stadium, it’s one of the best I have played in, but it’s never crossed my mind.
I have drawn a line under it and the England squad can move on now.
As noted in the aforementioned piece, Terry picked up 78 caps for the Three Lions and was named as skipper by both Steve McLaren and Fabio Capello during their respective tenures at the helm.
But the Chelsea legend retired from the international scene after the Football Association pursued charges against him over racist language used towards Anton Ferdinand, per BBC Sport, describing his position in the squad as "untenable."
Terry is a divisive figure, but from a purely footballing point of view, he would almost certainly make it into England’s first XI at this juncture. Former Three Lions star Gary Lineker thinks he remains one of the best defenders around:
But it seems the 34-year-old star is fully focused on playing well for Chelsea. Since Jose Mourinho’s return to the club, Terry has been an almost immovable figure at the heart of the Blues’ back four, with his indomitable presence and incomparable leadership skills forming the solid foundations upon which this formidable team is founded.
With one trophy already secured, a sizeable lead established in the Premier League title race and the Champions League quarter-finals in sight, this season could be a trophy-laden one for the Blues skipper. But speaking with Sky Sports (h/t Ashton’s piece), the Chelsea man insisted getting the first one in the bag was imperative:
That's the first one, it's massive. It meant an awful lot to us (to win the League Cup) in 2004-05 in Jose's first year here.
That (Sunday's win) could be the start of something special but we have to kick on and we have the league to focus on, but it's a great day and a great win today.
Terry is immersed in Chelsea, and at this stage of his career it’s wholly understandable that his focus remains on the Blues. Admittedly, his omission from the England scene has been detrimental for the Three Lions; in the short term, his attributes as a footballer would give the Three Lions a steely edge that is often lacking.
As we can see courtesy of Squawka Football, his winning mentality alone would also add plenty to the group:
But Roy Hodgson is looking to build a squad for the future, and if Terry was to come back, he’d potentially shunt the international development of players like John Stones and Calum Chambers. As his quotes suggest, it’s something the Chelsea skipper is also aware of, and he doesn’t want to disrupt the progression of the next generation.
Anyway, for Terry to make a renewed commitment to the national team would be a big gamble. The added workload at this late stage of his career could potentially be catastrophic, as would the intense spotlight that would undoubtedly accompany an international return. Bad news for Hodgson perhaps, but you suspect the Stamford Bridge faithful won’t mind one jot.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/18EcshR
via IFTTT March 02, 2015 at 03:32AM
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