Terry bites back
03/01/2010 04:12:23 AM
the meantime, the Italian might take some time to lift the spirits of Terry who, after initially responding with fortitude to the maelstrom that erupted around him, has now suffered a major form dip.
Carlo Ancelotti absolved Terry from any blame for Saturday's debacle, although as he did the same for goalkeeper Hilario, that is not necessarily an accurate reflection of events.
At best, the defender's performances are lacking conviction, which given leading from the front is such an integral part of his game, is a fairly significant drawback.
If that was Ancelotti's only problem, he could get away with emerging from a game in which his side surrendered an early lead, a 37-match unbeaten record, and two of their players to red cards, by citing Chelsea's single-point advantage over Manchester United as reason enough to be cheerful.
But there are a few others, that go far beyond the fact that Arsenal, now just one win adrift, has a significantly easier run-in to negotiate.
"We have to maintain trust in our quality," said Ancelotti.
"We knew how important this match was but we didn't play well. We have to avoid these kind of mistakes in the future."