Terry sees red as Chelsea show signs of cracking

You wouldn’t have said this 3 days ago, but the aesthetically calm and professional Chelsea seem to be displaying significant signs of wilting under the pressure of another title race, which looks like it will go right down to the last sinew of the season.

John Terry’s red card against London rivals Tottenham at the weekend is not only representative of a man who has completely lost the plot since allegations over his private life surfaced, but may also be a warning of things to come for the Blues. An atypically off the boil performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s men, together with a vital late Paul Scholes header at the City of Manchester Stadium, has meant the title race is firmly back to a 2-horse battle, with United now the ones neighing strongest, and boy can Chelsea hear it.

With United now only a point adrift in second place, results against Stoke (H), Liverpool (A) and Wigan (H) now look imperative for Chelsea. Fergie’s Devils have the task of overcoming Spurs at Old Trafford, Sunderland (A), before ending the season with what could be the deciding fixture against Stoke at the Theatre of Dreams. If I was to choose, I’d favour towards Chelsea’s run in, but if the inconsistent Liverpool can take 2 or even 3 points off a side they’ve struggled to dispatch in recent times, United will feel it’s their’s to lose.

Terry’s drop in form hasn’t cost his side too much in the scheme of things, but they say one moment can turn a season, and who’d bet against it being ‘that’ match? England fans should be worried with the World Cup less than 50 days away. The man, who 6 months ago was playing reasonably well, with no real alarms, and captaining Fabio Capello’s England to WC qualification, has suddenly thrust himself into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and at completely the wrong time. Doubts over Rio Ferdinand’s fitness add a touch more anxiety to the mixture and Terry now has a job on his hands to prove his worth to the National side.

Michael Dawson has had an outstanding season for Champions League-chasing Tottenham and unluckily for Terry, it’s been timed to perfection – reminiscent of his brave defending at WHL. A World Cup year is a nervous year for everyone involved in and around the National setup, and Terry will know that his place is far from certain. Clearly, he’ll be on the plane to South Africa and there’s no doubting that’s the correct decision. However, starting XI come June 12 in Rustenberg? Debatable. It could all depend on the final few games of the season, one of which Terry will miss.

Could Capello be so ruthless and brave to leave him out of his first team? Can he possibly base his decision on Chelsea’s end of season success? You’d say no, but the Italian has shown in the past he’s not afraid to make a brave decision or two, particularly against Terry. Nervous times ahead for Mr. Controversial.