Terry hurt by United triumph

11 August 2011 12:17
John Terry has vowed to ease the pain of watching Manchester United lift the Premier League trophy by claiming the title for Chelsea this term.[LNB] Terry sat within inches of the silverware on Thursday and admitted he had still not got over Chelsea surrendering it to United last season.[LNB]But the Blues captain insisted that made him more determined than ever to get his hands on the title when the season gets under way this weekend.[LNB]Chelsea went close to completing the greatest comeback in Premier League history last term but came up short as United were crowned English champions for a record 19th time.[LNB]However, Terry was confident history would not repeat itself this season.[LNB]"We can catch Manchester United," said the defender, speaking at the official launch of the 20th Premier League season.[LNB]"They have been the benchmark for 20 years.[LNB]"We pushed them to the end last season but missed out.[LNB]"We all see their quality and the hunger they have and that the manager has too.[LNB]"It really drives me on and seeing them lift the trophy last year still hurts to this day.[LNB]"I want to get my hands back on it and lift it.[LNB]"The competition is improving every year. The players are getting stronger and the managers want it even more."[LNB]Terry will lead the deposed champions out at Stoke on Sunday for the first competitive game of the Andre Villas-Boas era.[LNB]The new Chelsea boss has already made a big impression on his players, masterminding a pre-season campaign that ended with a 100% record.[LNB]That is in stark contrast to a year ago, when they lost all but one of their warm-up matches.[LNB]"The new manager has been great since he came in," said England captain Terry, who has already lifted the Barclays Asia Trophy this summer.[LNB]"We had a great tour of Asia with all our games won. When Andre came in, he stressed the importance of winning.[LNB]"We only won one game last pre-season. That wasn't the best of starts.[LNB]"But he's come in and drummed it in to us from day one.[LNB]"Andre has brought in new and fresh ideas that will hopefully help us win this (trophy) at the end of the season."[LNB]Villas-Boas is no stranger to Terry and many of his team-mates, having worked as a scout under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and Inter Milan before striking out on his own at Porto, where he swept the board last season.[LNB]Terry added: "He's got an emphasis and demeanour about him.[LNB]"A lot of the lads knew him from when he worked here with Jose but he's gone away and done his own thing and we give him a lot of respect.[LNB]"We have to treat him as his own man. He has obviously learned from the best.[LNB]"He has brought an awful lot to us in a very short space of time. We are ready for the season."[LNB]Chelsea are not the only club looking to topple United, with many of their rivals having spent big this summer.[LNB]Terry said: "I'm worried about a lot of teams this season. Everyone has strengthened.[LNB]"Manchester City and Manchester United have bought in some good players, Liverpool seemed to have strengthened a lot.[LNB]"There are six or seven teams who can really push and have a chance of winning the trophy."[LNB]Chelsea were on the wrong end of some shock results last term and Terry admitted Sunday's game at Stoke could not be another.[LNB]He said: "It's not the easiest of starts. They have a great side and a great manager.[LNB]"If we want to lift this (trophy), we have to go there and win."[LNB]Villas-Boas' team selection at the Britannia Stadium will be eagerly anticipated, particularly whether he decides to play Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba or both.[LNB]Torres was forced off during Spain's friendly defeat in Italy on Wednesday night, reportedly after suffering mild concussion.[LNB]Chelsea confirmed on Thursday afternoon that they were monitoring Torres' progress with a view to his availability on Sunday.[LNB]Chelsea are on the brink of signing another striker in Anderlecht's teenage sensation Romelu Lukaku.[LNB]But the Belgium star will not be officially unveiled this week.[LNB]A statement on his official website read: "Please note that no official presentation and no press conference will take place in Chelsea this week."[LNB]Lukaku trained with his prospective new team-mates at the club's training ground on Thursday.[LNB]The Blues are now being linked with Dnipro's Ghana defender Samuel Inkoom, who told skysports.com: "To be honest, the day I heard Chelsea were interested in me, I was very happy.[LNB]"Who would not like to be linked with such a big club, with world-class players?[LNB]"It is a dream club for any player, specifically for young African players like me. Hopefully it will happen."

Source: Team_Talk