Moving even further than just quoting statistics it’s evident that Terry’s performances have been on the decline for a while now. His failure to gel with Alex, David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic in the Chelsea rearguard is worrying and his presence as the ultimate dominator is rapidly dwindling. Surely that inability to form a cohesive partnership should worry Capello as he plans to introduce fresh faces to the England side? He isn’t the force that used to thunder into tackles, win every aerial duel and generally be that beacon of inspiration that drove Chelsea to success a couple of years ago. Nowadays his lack of pace is catching up to him whilst his movement and reaction time appear slower than ever. The way he was torn open again and again in Arsenal’s 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge a couple of weeks ago was an indicator that his best days are behind him.
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The same can’t be said for Taylor, who has fought back from a succession of injuries to inspire Newcastle to their best start to a season in 17 years. The formidable partnership he has struck up with Coloccini has been the hallmark for success at St James’ Park and he seems to have matured greatly over the last 18 months or so. Admittedly I wasn’t the 25-year-old’s biggest fan a few years ago due to his constant need to play up to the crowd which proved to be agitating when on the field matters were more of a concern. Luckily he has grown out of that and is now starting to display the ability that many saw in him as a teenager. His bustling approach to defending complements the cultured style of Coloccini, much like it would Phil Jagielka, Phil Jones, Gary Cahill or Chris Smalling in the England squad. His aerial supremacy is second to none and it’s very rare to see him beaten to a header by a striker, whilst he can also hold his own in an opponent’s penalty area. His discipline and awareness has also greatly improved and he isn’t diving into tackles anymore, preferring to stay on his feet and make it harder for an attacker. I will acknowledge though that he isn’t the quickest, but I will say he is faster than Terry over 10 yards.
There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Taylor deserves the England recognition that Terry is constantly provided with despite the issues with his performances and personal life. Clearly he is getting by on reputation alone, which is utterly wrong and it’s no secret that he is one of Capello’s favourites. It’s no secret that the Italian avoids travelling to the north-east to watch games, instead preferring to stay in and around London and the north-west. It’s clear that Taylor is currently the better player and at 25-years-of-age has both the maturity and experience to hold his own on the international stage. Whatever happened to Capello picking players in form?
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Stick to worrying what your ground is going to be called. 3rd in the league and you start writing shit like this. Taylor has impressed since he has got back in the team but don’t compare him to Terry. The system Chelsea are playing is ridiculous for the personnel they have. They had the joint best defence in the league last season despite a period where they couldn’t buy a game for two months. Before you write crap look at the record of Terry-Alex and Terry-luiz, then you will realise how wide off the mark your comments are. Terry-invanovic is they problem and there record together will justify that. So it’s far from terry, like your saying is the problem.
I don’t know how to say this but I think you ‘jak penny’ are crazy
Wow. No love for Terry, but this is a silly article. Presumptious, not well thought out and with a point that is blinkered and frankly ridiculous. What a waste of space.
Trolls. Terry is definitely on the decline, and Taylor has been overlooked by Capello because he plays for a “small club” in the northeast. If he was indeed picking players on form Taylor would be starting for England.