Redknapp feels Terry is a class apart
John Terry's fitness levels may have been questioned by his manager but Harry Redknapp feels he belongs in a class of his own.
By FOX Sports Staff
The England international has had a tumultous time over the past year as scandals, injuries and the club's policy of wanting to phase out their veterans have threatened to bring an end to his time at Stamford Bridge.
Most notably, Benitez did not bring on Terry in Thursday's Europa League fixture at Sparta Prague despite the fact that the defender recently recovered from a knee injury. The Spaniard cited fitness concerns as being responsible for the decision and remarked that the trio of Branislav Ivanovic, David Luiz and Gary Cahill have done well in Terry's absence.
Redknapp, though, moved to Terry's defence and wrote a column praising the former West Ham youth player's mental qualities which he believes sets the defender apart.
"John Terry is not everyone’s cup of tea - but they don’t make ‘em like him any longer and more’s the pity," wrote Redknapp in the Sun.
"And whatever the popular opinion about Terry, if Chelsea suddenly decided to get rid of him you can bet your bottom dollar there would be a queue of clubs as long as your arm waiting to take him on.
"He is still one of the two best English centre-halves we have and, at 32, still has four or five good years left in him, no question.
"John belongs to a bygone era as a captain. John is an energiser, he gees up his players, leads by example and shouts and hollers at them.
"And this is an increasingly rare commodity in the game, as strange as it seems.
"I have noticed that more and more players don’t even talk to each other off the pitch, let alone on it.
"For a few years now it’s become apparent that when you get on the team bus before or after a match, the players reach for their headphones, their computer games, their iPads or Twitter accounts - shutting themselves away in their own little worlds.
"None of them sit and talk about football on the bus any more. None of them seem to really sit and chat about life.
"Football is played out almost as a silent movie on the pitch these days. But Terry seems to buck that trend."
Moreover, the ex-Tottenham manager watched the mid-week Champions League fixture between Manchester United and Real Madrid but he rates the La Liga duo of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos rather poorly in comparison to the standard of defending that Terry can provide.
"In football terms, JT and Rio are still right up there, better than any of the Real Madrid centre-halves who played against Manchester United in the Champions League during the week," continued Redknapp.
"Terry still has a huge part to play in Chelsea’s season.
"I love watching him lead from the back, bawling people out and putting himself on the line.
"He has been injured a bit lately but he is still a huge figure in the Chelsea squad."
It is believed that Terry will get a chance to feature for the Blues' FA Cup tie with Brentford on Sunday where he will get a chance to prove that he's fit and ready for regular match action.