John Terry fears for his place under Andre Villas Boas, and warned Manchester United they will struggle this season without the experience of the likes of Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.
Terry went on to reveal new Chelsea boss Villas-Boas’s priority this season is winning the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, and that European champions Barcelona holds no fears for Chelsea.
But it is his comments about his own standing in the squad that will cause most surprise, as the 30-year-old revealed his fears about missing out.
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| Tough talker: John Terry says no one is safe at Chelsea |
'Nobody is untouchable – not me, not anyone,' he said.
'Some people suggest that Lamps [Frank Lampard], Didier [Drogba] and me have been here for too long to feel concerned. But it’s the opposite.
'We are the ones who make sure the team is a unit every day, who set the example – because if you don't care during the week, you can’t have the will to win at the weekend.
'But to say that we have been here for too long is total rubbish. We are the ones who really want to win.
'People said [previous coach] Carlo Ancelotti was easy-going, but me, I really feared losing my place last year, when we had a bad patch of games.
'Carlo had us feeling that nobody was safe, myself included. And that’s the same today. Nobody is sure of starting every game.
'There are times in a season when you win games and you feel you are certain to start every game, and that’s the moment when you slip.'
Terry has seen Chelsea just complete the transfer of Juan Mata from Valencia, their first summer signing of a player set to challenge for the first team straight away (other new faces Romelu Lukaku and Oriel Romeu will be given time to settle, while Thibault Courtois is on loan at Atletico Madrid), while champions United have spent big money on Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David de Gea.
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| Out with the old, in with the Young: Ashley Young joined United this summer |
But Terry is not convinced that United’s spending-spree will make any difference to the season ahead.
'I don't think the difference between United and us has changed this summer,' he continued.
'They clearly have bought players to build for the future. I like Phil Jones a lot. Chris Smalling looks really good too. Ashley Young, of course.
'When you look at their team it's set up for the future. But, in the short term, I don't see much difference in their team this season compared to last season. Apart from Young, their regular players will be the same.
'I think they might be affected by the fact they lost a few experienced players. Last year, the same happened to us and that made a difference.
'Players like Michael Ballack brought a lot to the team. We missed that.'
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| Vital experience: Chelsea suffered after Michael Ballack left |
Chelsea also lost experienced pair Joe Cole and Ricardo Carvalho 12 months ago.
'We started the season incredibly, but we struggled against supposed weaker teams. This will have to change this season.
'Last May, we spoke between ourselves, not in a formal way, but on the bus for instance, and we told each other what hadn't been working.
'When those situations arise again, and it will happen because you always lose games in a season, we will be better equipped to react.'
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