John Terry feels that the long Championship season won’t be a problem after the demands of playing in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, and England internationals in one campaign. The Championship has four extra teams in comparison to the Premier League, which means an increase in six games domestically.
Terry started only six league matches last season, but that was mainly down to Antonio Conte’s system at Chelsea and he was often still available for selection. The 36-year-old is a little bemused that he keeps getting asked the question.
“I’ll take 46. I’m normally playing 60-65. Everyone keeps raising that point but for the last 18 years I’ve played 60-65 games,” said Terry at the EFL Media Day.
“Steve is going to look after me at certain points with recovery days and everything else. But I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
Terry is still based at his Surrey mansion, although he spends most of his time in a hotel in Birmingham. His twin children start high school next month and he knows the importance of uprooting them at this vital stage in their development.
“We’re juggling that one of finding the balance at the moment. I’ve done ten days in the last couple of weeks where I’ve stayed up.
“If I do get an opportunity to go down, I’ve been shooting down. The journey’s not too bad.
“But physically, I need to be here. The family understand that if we decide not to move up.
“Family comes first and the kids’ school is very important. If the family have to stay there and I have to stay away from them a few days a week, then we’ll do that.
“What I won’t do is if we have a game, I won’t be doing a journey of a 1½-2 hours the day before or two days before.
“The professionalism, even though I’m stepping down, remains the same with me. Being in a hotel two days before a game is a given for me.”
The centre-back is enjoying his new surroundings, but doesn’t have any plans beyond the end of the season. He signed a one-year contact in July and says that only he will know if his body can cope any further.
“Solely the main purpose for me is for this one year to play as a player and nothing else, and give it everything I’ve got to get us there (Premier League),” adds Terry. “If that is the case and we do get there, then it’s a discussion we’ll all have to have.
“Steve will be the obvious one to make that decision. But depending on how I felt after the season and everything else, then who knows?
“Every ex-player I spoke to over the summer, the first thing they said to me was ‘play as long as you can’. There will be a point in your life when your body tells you ‘no’.
“At the minute, touch wood, I’m not at that point. Will that be the case in a year? I’m not too sure. My body will tell me before any ex-player, pundit or ex-manager or anyone else will tell me.”
