Antonio Conte suggests John Terry will return to Chelsea bench: ‘I have to take the best decision for the team’

Agence France-Presse Antonio Conte has said Chelsea captain John Terry could return to the bench for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Southampton. Terry’s return to action in Chelsea’s midweek League Cup defeat at West Ham United didn’t go according to plan as the centre-back struggled in his first appearance following six weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury. After three successive league wins without conceding a goal, Chelsea lost 2-1 to the West Ham and Terry’s error-strewn performance in Conte’s favoured three-man defence is unlikely to have persuaded the Italian to keep him in the starting line-up this weekend. The back three system is alien to Terry, who thrived in a four-man defence for much of his career, and he was beaten in the air by Cheikhou Kouyate for West Ham’s first goal. Conte eventually switched Terry from the central position to the left of the defence at half-time. That leaves Terry, 35, as a potential casualty if Conte recalls Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses to the wing-back roles and restores Cesar Azpilicueta to central defence. More Premier League: • Antonio Conte: Chelsea 'have found a good balance' in formation change • Predictions: Man United bounce back in style, Chelsea face tough test • Richard Jolly: Christian Benteke, a symbol of Liverpool's confused thinking, well placed to punish old club “I don’t like to talk about individual players. We win together and we lose together in every circumstance,” Conte said. “It’s logical that John came back from injury and it’s not easy to restart and to find quickly the right shape. “John is an important player for us, if he plays, if he doesn’t play, for the changing room, for his teammates, for the club. “I repeat: in this case always it’s important the team and not to think or to speak about an individual player. “I have always to take the best decision for the team, never for an individual player.” Conte made seven changes against West Ham, stalling the momentum from last Sunday’s 4-0 demolition of Manchester United. He wants a response against Southampton and has no intention of tinkering with the tactical formation that brought him success with Juventus and Italy. “We wanted to win and to continue in the cup. It didn’t happen,” Conte said. “It’s a pity, but on Sunday we have another tough game and it’s important our heads now stay concentrated for this game. “I think it’s the right way for the players. It’s a good fit for the team, this system. “For sure we must continue to work in the offensive situations and also in defensive situation. “It’s not easy, it’s completely different when you defend with four and when you defend with three defenders.” Chelsea enter this weekend’s fixtures in fourth place, one point behind table-toppers Manchester City, who lead Arsenal and Liverpool on goal difference, but Conte refuses to talk up his team’s title chances at this stage. “We shouldn’t look at the table,” he said. “It’s important to improve game by game, to continue to trust in the work. These are the most important things now, not the table. “In this league, there is great balance and in every game, anything can happen. You can win, but you can lose.” Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport

Antonio Conte suggests John Terry will return to Chelsea bench: ‘I have to take the best decision for the team’

Antonio Conte has said Chelsea captain John Terry return to the bench for Sunday's Premier League trip to Southampton.