Christensen: Terry helped me through slump

LONDON: Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen (pic) has thanked former club captain John Terry for his advice which helped the 21-year-old overcome his recent poor form.

The Denmark international has imposed himself in the centre of Chelsea’s defence this campaign, making 36 appearances across all competitions but made costly errors in recent matches.

Christensen has been culpable for goals conceded against Barcelona in the Champions League and Manchester City and Manchester United in the English Premier League, leading the Dane to seek out Terry, who is currently at Aston Villa, for advice.

“My teammates have seen all my other performances, so they know that these mistakes aren’t typical for me,” Christensen told Eurosport.

“I have had a smaller talk with John Terry. He has also experienced setbacks and it is always nice to talk to someone watching it from the outside and to learn that they have experienced the same.

“He told me that it is natural to make mistakes and he tried to put it in perspective for me saying that ... we can’t change a goal scored against us, so when we make mistakes it is more crucial and it is easy for people to point fingers.

“I have realised it, looked at it and now I have moved on.”

Christensen seemed to have regained his composure in last Sunday’s 2-1 win over Leicester in the English FA Cup quarter-finals and says manager Antonio Conte’s continued trust in him has made a positive impact.

“I thought I might be out of the next match (after the errors) but I try to tell myself that before these matches I have played all the other ones almost with no mistakes at all,” Christensen added.

“I hope that is the reason I get to start, because the coach knows he can trust me, I haven’t made any mistakes, but been very solid for a long period.

“I am focusing on all the good games I have played this season.”

Chelsea, who are fifth in the league, host Tottenham in an April 1 match between teams eyeing a top-four finish.