John Terry's fight for form and fitness a concern for Fabio Capello

11 February 2009 23:38
"I know I need to improve – my fitness, my game," he admitted while addressing the fallout from the sacking of his club manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari. Imagine, then, if England's friendly with Spain had been a World Cup qualifier. His obvious lack of confidence would have represented a genuine concern.[LNB]But if that admission was typically honest of the Chelsea and England captain, it also raised several questions about the central defender. [LNB]Yet that part about his game can be easily explained. Everyone suffers from lapses in form now and again. It comes with the territory. And over the last couple of months, as Chelsea have drifted from one uninspiring performance to the next, their talismanic leader, usually so dependable, has looked strangely subdued, not quite the fired-up leader we have come to expect. [LNB]While reasons for that downturn can be many and varied, it is probably linked, in truth, to the other part of that statement, namely a shortfall in fitness. If, as a player, you feel underprepared physically, everything else also takes a hit. [LNB]When you think about it, though, this problem with fitness must be extremely frustrating given Terry has been playing regularly for most of the season. But for a couple of recent absences, this wholly committed character has remained at the heart of the action, racking up 30 appearances for Chelsea so far. [LNB]It cannot, therefore, be a lack of match practice holding him back. More likely an ongoing back problem, the one that kept him out of England's games against Kazakhstan and Belarus, one dating back several months, would appear to be the most vexing issue. In addition to all the turbulence rocking Stamford Bridge, a troublesome injury that does not want to go away cannot be doing much for Terry's state of mind. [LNB]Fabio Capello, of course, will be well aware that his captain is not firing on every cylinder. A couple of trips to west London would have quickly told him that. [LNB]Nevertheless, the Italian was not in the mood here to take abortive action. He knows how important Terry is in the dressing room and how important he can be out on the pitch. The Londoner might have been at fault for Germany's goal in November but then his wonderful late headed winner encapsulated everything that is good about this lion-heart. [LNB]In any case, experience at the back was always going to be crucial in Seville seeing as Fernando Torres and David Villa were spearheading the lavishly talented European champions.[LNB]Not only that, the late withdrawal of Rio Ferdinand with a stomach bug meant Terry was paired with Phil Jagielka, superb for Everton this term but starting for his country for the first time. [LNB]It showed, too, when the nervous debutant badly misplaced a forward pass. With Spain leaping hungrily at England's throat, Terry just did not have the time or the pace to get goal-side before Villa put Spain ahead. [LNB]A pity that, because England, in the main, had defended pretty well, with the skipper orchestrating a back four that kept seeing Xavi and Andres Iniesta menacingly pop up in those promising gaps a few yards ahead. [LNB]No surprise that Capello kept Terry on for the second half. With Spain in this kind of mood, it was not the time to be giving the 28-year-old a rest. [LNB]Yet on the subject of age, given his injuries, plus the times he has played when he undoubtedly should not have, Terry's body probably bears the scars of a 35-year-old.[LNB]Listening to him, it seems to be a worry for the player. And, if things do not improve, it will be a worry for Capello in the years ahead. [LNB]

Source: Telegraph