John Terry celebrated widely when Chelsea’s 15-goal record remained intact earlier this season, but now, he admits Reece James and Thiago Silva might start in that defence.
The 2004-05 season saw Chelsea win the Premier League title while amassing a record-breaking 25 clean sheets in 38 games, conceding just 15 goals. Jose Mourinho secured the title in his first Chelsea season.
A defence that was largely made up of Petr Cech, Paulo Ferreira, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and William Gallas. The latter played out of position as a left-back, though Wayne Bridge often deputised for him.
John Terry is right, Chelsea haven’t gone forwards under Liam Rosenior yet😬
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John Terry on Liam Rosenior's start at Chelsea
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The record remains to this day, and many believe it won’t be beaten. Terry admits he was slightly worried by Arsenal’s record this season, but the Chelsea captain celebrated Arsenal failing to match the record.
James and Silva would start ahead of Ferreira and Carvalho
Of course, Terry was the star of the show, and goalkeeper Cech wasn’t far behind him that season. But Portuguese duo Carvalho and Ferreira, who followed Mourinho to Chelsea, were incredibly impressive.
Chelsea FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
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Robert Huth, Celestine Babayaro, and Glen Johnson also played their part, but on Zac Djellab’s YouTube, Terry admits that Reece James and Thiago Silva would start in that side over Ferreira and Carvalho.
“Both would have been in with a shout of starting [over Carvalho and Ferreira]. Thiago was immense. We’ve had a lot of players like Zola at the end of their careers. Thiago was at the back end of his career.
“How good was he? It goes to show that people like Milner, looking after themselves, can prolong your career. Reece is Chelsea through and through, I think both of them would have played,” he said.
The stats: Ferreira and Carvalho v James and Silva
England star James is easily one of Chelsea’s best players of the modern era and certainly in the last 10 years. So much so, that James is now captain and it is often forgotten that he is still only 26 years of age.
Would you take Thiago Silva back at the club?
Do you agree with John Terry?
Silva, meanwhile, is one of the best central defenders to arguably play the game. One of Brazil’s best and one of the most decorated players in French football. Terry is right to admit they would play in 04-05.
Certainly, Chelsea lack a centre-back like Silva at the moment, with Micah Richards criticising Chelsea’s inability to defend crosses at the moment. This summer, Chelsea need a centre-back like Silva or Terry.
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