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Chelsea is a club grappling for a place in the European elite, a la Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester United etc. In terms of sheer success, the Roman Abramovich-owned club is right on track. In terms of trophy count alone, they have won more silverware than any other English club since 2003.
For all the aforementioned clubs to form their identity, they needed legends to give them the extra fillip. These legends are a part of the club for a prolonged period, become global superstars and become the faces of the club. Chelsea have some great yesteryear names too. The likes of Roy Bentley, Jimmy Greaves, Peter Osgood and Gianfranco Zola lacked the success of their counterparts though.
Paul Scholes, Paulo Maldini, Ryan Giggs, Javier Zanetti are names that are synonymous with their clubs. With millions poured into the world of football, one-club icons are a dying breed these days. Even a Xavi Hernandez or a Steven Gerrard, two of the best midfielders of their generation who have been singled out for their loyalty, would choose glamour and money than make up the numbers as a squad player for their boyhood clubs.
In the last three years now, Chelsea have let go of three players who were cornerstones of the team’s success since the last decade. Ashley Cole leaving the club could be put down to lack of first team opportunities and the evolution of Cesar Azplicueta as a reliable left-back. But the cases of John Terry and Frank Lampard are unique. “It’s not going to be a fairytale ending, I’m not going to retire at Chelsea,” said Terry after learning that his contract was not going to be extended. Forget fairytale, this is humiliation of sorts.
Lampard, the all-time top scorer for the Blues had proved his fitness and quality despite being on the wrong side of the thirties. That decision would come back to haunt Chelsea a season later as Lampard the Manchester City player came on from the bench to score a crucial equaliser at Stamford Bridge.
Terry, only six months ago, had once again proved his worth as a top-class defender after being written off. Some of his critics happened to be managers who had worked with him. During last year’s title winning campaign, Terry had played every minute, defying all odds. Those critics were now awestruck, waxing lyrical about the English defender’s old school, tough tackling abilities.
It didn’t take much time for the claws to dig into Terry’s skin again. It was two games to be precise, when Jose Mourinho took him off at half-time against City to infuse more pace in defense. Chelsea were trailing then.
Speed was never Terry’s forte. It was never going to be. He more than made that up though. Leadership, awareness, organizational skills, picking out a pass from deep with both feet, having an uncanny ability to score goals from set-pieces, and making last-ditch tackles made him one of the best defenders going around. A Ricardo Carvalho or Gary Cahill took care of the speed factor.
There has been scrutiny over his off-field and certain on-field shenanigans over the years. The Anton Ferdinand racism row could have been handled better while he went on to lose his captain’s armband for his country because of infidelity issues. At Chelsea though, he remained ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ — as the banner unfurled at Stamford Bridge reads out.
It is not like Chelsea has a great global reputation to boast about. As much for the club’s success and its ascendency in the Big money league, it still lacks the allure of a Manchester United or a Barcelona. A recent survey proved that Chelsea is the second most hated club in the world. How Lampard or Terry retiring at the Bridge would bring that aura is debatable. It takes many decades to build that. However, the club could have got the ball rolling. The Lampard-Terry axis has become Chelsea’s identity now.
The English represent only 27 % of the English Premier League players. In a league with an endless influx of foreigners, the homegrown players go on to become a bridge between the fans and the players. Terry represented one of them. Having grown through the youth ranks at South-West London, there was more emotional connect attached to Terry’s rise to a world class defender for the Chelsea faithful.
For a club notorious for its short-term mentality, having old, wise heads is pivotal. Another club legend, Didier Drogba was recalled to the side to mentor the younger crop of strikers at the time. Drogba also went on play a hand in the title win in 2014-15. When the side went through a turbulent time in the early part of this season, which culminated in them plunging perilously close to the relegation zone, Lampard’s experience could have proved handy. It is not like the former West Ham United man had not seen a crisis before.
In defense, Thibaut Courtois still remains a young keeper moving up the ladder in leaps and bounds. There are those occasional mistakes that he has to take care of. Kurt Zouma is still raw and Branislav Ivanovic hasn’t proved himself as a reliable leader, despite being around for a number of years.
It is understandable when clubs play it safe with players who have crossed 30, meticulously rolling out contracts, depending on their performances. But the handling of Terry and Lampard by the Chelsea board, like they have treated the managers who have come and left, is done in bad taste. Ungrateful is the word.
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