TERRY’S LAST GOODBYE AGAINST SUNDERLAND
LEGENDARY SKIPPER BOWS OUT IN CATS CLASH, WITH PRAISE FROM FELLOW CHELSEA MAN AKE
Nathan Ake says that John Terry will be a huge miss at Chelsea.
Long-serving captain Terry, 36, will say his final farewell to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, making his 717th and last appearance for the Blues in the Premier League home clash with relegated Sunderland.
Fellow defender Ake, 22, still remembers making his debut in an FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough back in 2013, when Terry skippered the Londoners to a 2-0 victory.
“He’s always been there, helping and talking, since I was 17 and I first came into the team under Rafael Benitez,” Ake said.
“He’s always been there for me, on and off the pitch.
“He tries to help, that’s just the way he is.
“He plays his own game but also looks out for others as well, so it was really nice to play with him.”
Asked by Chelsea’s website about what he had learned from Terry, Dutchman Ake responded: “Positioning and also just his character. The way he trains every day is magnificent. He makes sure you always give 100 per cent, even if you are a little bit tired.
“He keeps going and you see the way he puts tackles in and think you need to do that as well, that’s the type of character he is. He’s such a big legend at the club and he will be a really big miss.”
Ake will look to feature for the champions against Sunderland, having had an interesting season, spending the first half of the campaign on loan at Bournemouth but being recalled from the south coast by boss Antonio Conte in January.
“At Bournemouth it was all about playing games, added Ake, who had a successfu loan at Watford last season.
“I played centre-back and I hadn’t done that in the Premier League before. I really enjoyed it because they are a good team who play good football.
“When I came back here, it was a different challenge, playing with top players, fighting for the title and playing in the FA Cup semi-final.
“It’s been a really good season to look back on and I’ve learnt a lot on the pitch, as well as becoming more mature off the pitch. It’s been really good.”
Chelsea will be aiming for a record 30th league victory of the campaign when they take on Sunderland. The Black Cats have won 32 times in the last four Premier campaigns, 10 in 2013/14, seven in 2014/15, nine last season and six this term.
Ake, fresh from making his first league appearance this season for the Blues (in Monday’s 4-3 win over Watford, is taking nothing for granted.
He said: “Every game is difficult. People thought it would be easy against Watford and it wasn’t at all. We need to prepare in the right way and we will be ready.
“The manager said before the Watford game we still have something to achieve.
“We have to make sure we still take it seriously and give everything we have.”