Chelsea legend John Terry has opened up on why he no longer watches football despite having a coaching badge and willing to work on the biggest stage as a coach.
Terry is ranked among the best defenders in world football but the former England international in a recent interview shared his discontent with the current state of elite football, claiming he no longer enjoys the modern game and its tactics.
The former Chelsea star used an appearance on talkSPORT to lambast the current state of the game. He lamented the possession-based tactics of dominant teams like Manchester City, which in turn incentivise lesser teams to sit deep in response.
He also talked up the innovations put forward by the nascent Baller League.
Terry told talkSPORT: “I don’t sit there and enjoy watching football anymore.
“The guys who started Baller League, the guy called Felix he’s got backers from Germany and across the world, they were fed up of seeing tactical games.
“Like where teams play against Man City and you get 11 men behind the ball, it’s boring. Man City try and break the other team down, it’s really boring.
“You don’t see many shots you don’t see people like Eden Hazard or Joe Cole getting people off their seats.”
On the rules implemented by Baller League: “They started Baller League (with rules) like when you cross the halfway line you have to go forward you can’t go backwards.
“The generation of kids they love seeing it. I think that (the viewing figures) will grow again, but it’s getting to the point where people are fed up with football.”
John Terry during his time as assistant coach of Aston Villa (Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
The former England captain spent 19 years at Stamford Bridge before retiring in 2018 after a spell at Aston Villa.
Terry added that he feels like football has lost that side of the game and players can no longer put in a strong challenge without punishment.
“You could tackle back in the day, now it’s gone.
“The art of defending has completely gone, which I think is a shame to be honest, because there’s some tackles where if I tackled you, I’d end up following through.
“Now people go: ‘You can’t do that, that’s a sending off’. And I’m like absolutely not, you can’t tackle and stop immediately.
“I get frustrated at people in football now getting jobs and roles within the TV, it does my head in.
“Real football people love to see that side of it and it’s a big thing that’s missing.”
