John Terry Reveals the Chelsea Defender Bukayo Saka Hates Playing Against – and Why It Could Be Arsenal’s Undoing
John Terry suggests Bukayo Saka might be apprehensive about facing a specific Chelsea player this Sunday.
The former Chelsea captain also explained how his old team can nullify Arsenal’s danger from set plays.
Arsenal currently holds a significant lead over Chelsea in the league standings as they prepare for a potentially captivating match between two confident teams buoyed by impressive Champions League victories.
Chelsea triumphed over Barcelona at their home ground, with young Brazilian talent Estevao being the main talking point. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s team convincingly defeated Bayern Munich.
Following their win, spirits were high at the club as coach Enzo Maresca announced that Cole Palmer, who has been sidelined for a large portion of the season due to injury, is now healthy and available to be in the starting lineup against Arsenal.
“It’s a huge plus for the club to have such a quality player back in the mix,” former Chelsea skipper Terry remarked on his TikTok account regarding Palmer’s possible return.
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“However, even more vital is the chance for him to get maybe 20 to 30 minutes on the pitch to build up his fitness for the remainder of the season.”
Terry added: “The boss now has some significant choices to consider after such a strong showing against Barcelona earlier in the week. Will he stick with the same starting eleven?”
Let’s speculate about the attacking lineup. Will Joao Pedro or perhaps Liam Delap be deployed as the central striker? Could we see Pedro Neto shift to the left flank, with Alejandro Garnacho potentially occupying the other wide position?
Honestly, I can’t say for sure what the boss is planning. However, his recent tactical decisions have been spot-on, delivering positive results. Therefore, I’m confident he’ll make the correct choices again this weekend.
Looking ahead, some key individual matchups will likely determine the flow of the game.
For instance, Marc Cucurella, fresh off a strong performance against Lamine Yamal in the Barcelona match, has the potential to gain the advantage over Saka in their duel.
He went on to say that the midfield area will be a key battleground. Specifically, he highlighted the individual matchup between Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice.
He acknowledge both as exceptionally talented players who have consistently delivered top-tier performances for their respective teams. He expects their encounter to be a significant and hard-fought contest.
Furthermore, he pointed out the recurring clash between Saka and Cucurella, describing it as a consistently engaging duel. He suggested that Saka might find Cucurella’s combative style challenging.
However, he emphasized the Chelsea fans’ appreciation for Cucurella’s assertive play and expressed his hope that Cucurella would maintain his usual high level of energy and intensity in the game.
Basically, he anticipates several important individual contests across the pitch, which he believes will heavily influence the game’s outcome.
In another TikTok video, Terry elaborated on his thoughts about how Chelsea could nullify Arsenal’s threat during dead-ball situations.
He stated that both teams employ specialized coaches for set pieces, highlighting their essential role in the successes of both Arsenal and Chelsea, both offensively and defensively when dealing with corners.
Terry acknowledged that practicing set plays can be tedious and unpopular among players.
However, he emphasized their crucial significance, pointing to Arsenal’s evident commitment to their set-piece coach and Mikel Arteta’s strong belief in this aspect of the game.
He suggested that it’s clear Arsenal dedicates significant time to set-piece drills regularly.
Terry stressed the need for Chelsea to be fully prepared for Arsenal’s dangerous set plays right from the start of the game.
He underlined Arsenal’s proficiency in these situations and the importance of Chelsea being ready to effectively counter them.
“A common tactic opponents employ is exploiting runs from deep positions. In such situations, I advocate switching to a man-marking system.
This approach empowers individual players, shifting away from the limitations of zonal marking, particularly in crucial matches.
Specifically, I would assign each player a direct opponent, saying something like: ‘JT, you’re responsible for this player. Do whatever it takes to neutralize him. Prevent him from making unchecked runs and contesting free headers.’
The objective is to make physical contact, making things as challenging as possible for the attacker. Crucially, everyone must execute their individual assignments with equal dedication.
This concerted effort will clear space for the goalkeeper to confidently collect crosses, thus disrupting Arsenal’s offensive prowess.
This aspect of the game will be vital because Arsenal possess considerable skill. We must be at our absolute best, prepared to counter every attacking strategy they deploy.
Furthermore, we need to capitalize on our own set-piece opportunities. We should aim to make a significant impact in the opposition’s penalty area, striving to secure a couple of goals for ourselves.”
