Chelsea FC Face Impossible Task Without John Terry

Chelsea FC are without captain and leader John Terry for their trip to Paris to take on PSG in the UEFA Champions League.

It was going to be hard enough for Chelsea FC advance in the Champions League against a Paris Saint Germain side that is clicking on all cylinders but now it may have just become impossible. The Blues will be forced to try to keep the PSG attack at bay without the help of John Terry who is missing with a hamstring injury.

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The Chelsea captain was involved in a small dustup with Newcastle United striker Aleksander Mitrovic that was preceded by an aerial challenge that seemed innocuous at the time. As both players fell to the ground, Terry and Mitrovic got tangled up and in the process the Englishman appeared to injure his leg.

He was brought off shortly after the incident in the middle of the first half and today he was ruled out of the clash in Paris. The Blues were already without fellow centre back Kurt Zouma because of an ACL injury and now face the prospect of shutting down the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani with only one experienced central defender.

The Blues will likely line up with a back four of Abdul Rahman Baba, Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, and Cesar Azpilicueta when they take on Les Bleus. Baba has been an auxiliary figure this season and despite his excellent play in the Bundesliga last season has struggled to make an impact in the Premier League.

Ivanovic, who of course is Chelsea FC’s first choice right back, began his career as a central defender and still plays there for the Serbian national team. The issue of course is that he and Gary Cahill do not have much experience playing together in that central role which could lead to communications and breakdowns in an already fragile back line.

If Zouma was still fit then this would hardly be an issue. The Blues would be missing Terry’s leadership and communication from his central position, but the ability of Zouma could paper over those cracks if they are set up defensively. Now they must face one of the strongest attacks in Europe without their two first-choice centre backs.

The only possible positive from this lineup change is that Chelsea now have pace at both fullback positions. Ivanovic has been abused by pacey wingers all season long and PSG have pace to burn in Lucas Moura and Angel Di Maria. The former Real Madrid man Di Maria has 13 goals and 10 assists in all competitions and Moura is not far behind with eight goals and five assists.

Baba may not be as strong a defender as Azpilicueta but he does have the pace to make up for any potential mistakes. Azpilicueta now gets to play in his natural position and can contribute more in attack from there as he is a right-footed player. His effectiveness in attack is limited when he plays on the left as his crosses are not nearly as accurate with his weaker foot.

This infusion of pace in the Chelsea back line is the only potential positive from the injury to John Terry but it is a small silver lining on a very dark cloud.

Chelsea FC have looked poor in defense for most of the season and will face one of their toughest tests of the season on Tuesday. They may have won the Champions League against very large odds but it is hard to see them coming out unscathed against this marauding PSG attack.

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