Chelsea Win Champions League in Munich Without John Terry
England’s new manager, Roy Hodgson, was in attendance to see Chelsea defeat Bayern Munich and become European Champions last night in Munich.
Englands new manager, Roy Hodgson, was in attendance to see Chelsea defeat Bayern Munich and become European Champions last night in Munich. Before the game Hodgson insisted that Chelsea would not be underdogs and said they had a good chance of winning at the Allianz Arena which is incidentally the home of the beaten finalists. Four Chelsea players will don the three lions this summer. Three of them Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Gary Cahill helped prove Hodgsons confidence was not misplaced. The fourth, John Terry, sat in the stands after his semi-final red card against Barcelona. Despite Terrys absence, Hodgson believed Chelsea had a good shot at European glory without him. But by picking him for Euro 2012, he doesnt seem to think England can do the same. Critics of John Terry might say that If Chelsea can without him, so can England. They will point to some of his performances in what has been a less commanding season than normal. After Chelsea lost 2-1 to Liverpool in November, BBC pundit Alan Hansen said Terrys made more mistakes in his last eight games than he has in the last eight years. During that period, a Terry blunder handed Arsenal an unexpected victory at Stamford Bridge. He fell over as he tried to retrieve a wayward pass from Florent Malouda, and allowed Robin Van Persie a free passage to score. Skeptics may also suggest that Terry is not in the right frame of mind for Euro 2012; and that missing out on his clubs biggest moment in history will affect his mental state. Furthermore Terry might have one eye on his court case scheduled for after the Euros in July. He has been charged with racially abusing Anton Ferdinand a charge he denies. Some believe the issue will disrupt Englands preparations, with Reading striker, Jason Roberts claiming Terry would have a toxic effect on the dressing-room. However, Hodgson insists Terry has been picked for footballing reasons and that he will make England stronger on the pitch. His claims are not without merit. Despite having some shaky moments this season, Terry was the worlds third best passer in 2011 for players with over 1000 passes, with a 91.6% pass accuracy rate. Also this past season was his most prolific in terms of goals. He scored seven in all competitions, with his last coming in Chelseas final league game against Blackburn. In addition he has plenty of big tournament experience having played in two World Cups and one European Championship. It is yet to be seen whether Hodgsons decision to pick Terry will pay off. Chelsea proved they can be successful without him, and he faces stiff competition from Joleon Lescott, Phil Jones, and his Chelsea teammate, Gary Cahill, to start for England. Nonetheless, his fans will be hoping he can make up for missing out with Chelsea by helping England capture their first trophy since 1966.