John Terry reveals ‘frustration’ as brutal Chelsea warning issued and Reece James admission made

John Terry reveals ‘frustration’ as brutal Chelsea warning issued and Reece James admission made

John Terry has warned Chelsea this summer might be a rare opportunity for them to lift the FIFA Club World Cup trophy with the Blues taking part in the revamped competition.

The global club competition has a new format and teams will get their first taste of it this summer. It begins in mid-June with all matches taking part in the United States. A total of 32 teams from around the world will take part in the new and expanded format.

Chelsea have been drawn in Group D alongside Flamengo (Brazil), Club Leon (Mexico) and Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia). The Blues’ first game against Club Leon will take place in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while the final two group matches will be at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The west Londoners are one of the 32 clubs involved in the Club World Cup (CWC) thanks to their Champions League triumph – the second in the club’s 120-year history – in the 2020/21 season. Some teams have qualified via winning major honours, while others have done so through their ranking.

Terry, who took part in the old format of the CWC in 2012 but lost in the final to Corinthians, feels envious of those participating this summer. However, the former Chelsea captain has warned the current crop of players that opportunities like this do not come around too often.

"In terms of the Club World Cup, I see the trophy today and I'm really frustrated that I'm not going to get an opportunity to win it," Terry said. "Because as a player, you want to say 'I’ve played in everything', and I'm never going to really get the chance to say that with this trophy. This will be the first time anyone will actually be able to say they are the best club in the world."

He added: "It's a real opportunity [for Chelsea] to go and win it. That opportunity might not be there in four years, but Chelsea might not be in those top competitions, and we might drop out of that. So, as a player, and I promise you now, when you have been retired six years, I would play 100 games a season if I had to. I'd love to go back. I see this as a really big opportunity to go and play and to win something that nobody's won before."

Terry was also asked about the inspiration players can take from the leaders in the dressing room. In a very young Chelsea squad, there might not be too many names that jump out at you, but skipper Reece James and vice-captain Enzo Fernandez are certainly two examples of big characters that are desperate to win at all costs.
“Being around the likes of Gianfranco [Zola] – he had so much time for us young players at Chelsea,” Terry said. “When these guys first arrived at Chelsea, Franco was finishing training, going to the gym, and then going back outside after lunch and eating really good food.

"It was a really good insight for us young players at Chelsea to absorb it and take it all in. Winning on a day-to-day basis and seeing what it meant to those guys that won everything into the back end of their career – they could have taken their foot off the gas.

"It has to be in your armoury as a player. I had that anyway, but seeing them and witnessing that just inspired me and pushed me on even more. It would be great to see Reece as captain and Enzo [Fernandez] lifting the Club World Cup Trophy in the summer.”

John Terry was speaking about Chelsea and the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. Watch every game from the FIFA Club World Cup on DAZN for free. Sign up today.

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