Cup success will inspire us, says Terry
Chelsea captain John Terry hopes Carling Cup success will motivate his side as they bid to overcome Barcelona in their crucial Champions League return leg.
Jose Mourinho’s side trail 2-1 to the Primera Liga leaders ahead of Tuesday’s match at Stamford Bridge, and the away goal means Jose Mourinho’s men only have to win 1-0 to go through.
Since losing in Spain, Chelsea have captured their first silverware of the season, and Terry feels the squad are now buoyant.
“We always said the Carling Cup would be a great starting point for us,” he said.
“We’re full of confidence and hopefully we can take that into the other competitions.”
The first leg in the Nou Camp was made all the more memorable for the controversial incidents which left Chelsea facing a double disciplinary charge from UEFA and lodging their own report about an alleged half-time discussion between Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard and Swedish referee Anders Frisk.
UEFA are unhappy Chelsea arrived late on to the pitch for the second half while they have also charged Mourinho for failing to appear for the compulsory post-match press conference.
Mourinho’s first taste of glory came with Chelsea’s 3-2 extra-time win over Liverpool at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
Terry has now set his sights firmly on the Barclays Premiership title and the Champions League.
He also believes more success will help to silence the critics even further.
“When you are at the top people want to shoot you down,” said Terry.
“That is where we are at the minute and we have to deal with it.
“We are professionals and don’t get irritated by people having a go at us but it is frustrating at times because we have done really well this season.”
He added: “There is definitely no crisis here and if we keep on showing a great fight until the end of the season, hopefully it will be a great year for us.”
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Petr Cech has warned Arsenal that continually changing goalkeepers is not the best way to instil confidence in the rest of the team.
Arsenal are 3-1 down to Bayern Munich in their Champions League tie and have alternated between Jens Lehmann and Manuel Almunia several times this season as manager Arsene Wenger bids to find the answer to his goalkeeping situation.
But Cech, 22, said: “As a goalkeeper it’s very important to start well and I did that this season.
“I felt the confidence of the manager from the start when he made me first-choice. That was a huge moment.
“We won our first game against Manchester United and that gave me the confidence to keep on going.
“If you don’t feel the backing of your manager and team-mates, you’ll never play well and I’m fortunate to have such great support.
“Changing the goalkeeper every week doesn’t help anyone. I haven’t seen all of Arsenal’s games but mistakes do happen and it’s not always the fault of the goalkeeper.
“If the team’s not playing well defensively then you’ve got no chance. Goalkeepers can’t save everything.”
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