John Terry has been giving some insight into what life was like at Chelsea during Jose Mourinho’s second spell as manager.
Mourinho returned to Chelsea in 2013, and the early signs suggested that he was going to have another hugely successful stint in west London.
The Blues finished third in the Premier League in his first season back before winning the title the following campaign.
However, the Portuguese was sacked in December 2015, with his side just one point above the relegation zone. As well as discussing Mourinho’s second spell, Terry has also spoken about John Obi Mikel, claiming that his former teammate is still good enough to play in the Premier League today.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
John Terry claims Chelsea teammates did not like being criticised
Terry played under Mourinho in both of his spells as Chelsea manager, and the former Blues captain has claimed the big difference between his two tenures was how players reacted to criticism.
According to Terry, the group that Mourinho had between 2013 and 2015, which included young footballers like Eden Hazard and Oscar, wanted to be pampered all of the time and were not ready to hear any hard-hitting truths.
Speaking about Mourinho on talkSPORT, the ex-England international said: “A lot of people said he was different the second time. I think the big difference when he came back was players were different. In that first year 2004/05, he could have said to me, Lamps, Didier or anyone in the squad, you’ve been rubbish basically, you need to be better. That second time around, players were different.
“It was probably that generation of the players were just starting to kind of go the other way where they didn’t like being told what they were bad at. They wanted a pat on the back all the time. So in terms of him, I don’t think he was different. I think the group was different and I think he was still very much, ‘This is how I coach, this is how I manage, I’ve been very successful this way. Why would I change? Everyone has to follow me’. And also, I agree with him.”
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While Terry is no longer a Chelsea player, the retired defender works for the club’s academy and spends time at Cobham as a result.
Cole Palmer recently won the bleep test during one training session, and Terry was there to witness it.
Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images
Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images
John Terry’s view of new Club World Cup
Earlier this month, Terry also discussed the new FIFA Club World Cup and Chelsea’s participation in it.
Enzo Maresca‘s men will be playing in the tournament after the Blues’ 2021 Champions League success, and Terry is a big fan of its new format.
Terry spoke to journalist Ben Jacobs and said: “I like it. I think what Gianni [Infantino] is doing is incredible. I think what he’s trying to do is give people a real chance from across the world to go and compete against some of the top teams.
“Having a big squad is going to enable us (Chelsea) to take a big squad over there. So I understand there are a lot of games, the season is long, but also for players it’s important to want and go win these trophies as well. For Chelsea Football Club, we have an opportunity to take some players to get a lot of experience, but also to go win the trophy. Hopefully we can do that.”
Chelsea are hoping to strengthen their squad before the competition begins. It has been claimed that Chelsea want to make two new signings before they head to the US this summer.