‘F***ing hell’ – Terry reveals he was ‘held back’ during ‘argument’ with ex-Liverpool manager at Chelsea

Chelsea legend John Terry has revealed that he was “at loggerheads” with Rafael Benitez while the Spaniard was in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Benitez spent six years as Liverpool’s manager between 2004 and 2010 before Chelsea – who are top of the 2023 Premier League net spend table – made the shock decision to appoint him during the 2012/13 campaign.

The 63-year-old became Chelsea‘s interim head coach in November 2012 after they parted company with club legend Roberto Di Matteo.

Benitez remained in charge for the rest of the season as they finished third in the Premier League and won the Europa League.

Despite this, Terry has revealed that he butted heads with Benitez in the lead-up and aftermath of their 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat against Manchester City.

“We played Man City in the FA Cup, I think it was the quarter-final and he wasn’t playing me,” Terry said via The Obi Wan podcast.

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“We were at loggerheads. We were arguing on the training pitch and he was leaving me out of the team, leaving me off the bench and everything, but I insisted on travelling with the team.

“I was on the bench against Man City and I think we lost 2-1 but we came in after the game and he addressed the group and said, ‘ah guys it doesn’t matter, we’ve got another big game at the weekend’.

“At the time you could feel that Man City were doing something and I’d just had enough.

“I was like ‘f***ing hell, that’s accepted? No chance that’s accepted’. He accepted us losing to Man City and I was across the dressing room coming towards him and all of the lads are pulling me back and he’s now walking towards me and we’re trying to get at each other.

“I was like ‘no, that’s not accepted at Chelsea – maybe at Liverpool it’s accepted to lose a quarter final but at Chelsea that’s not accepted’.”

Terry has also admitted he’s come to the realisation that he will never get the opportunity to manage Chelsea and this “hurts” him. 

“My one dream I had when I left Chelsea is that I was going to come back as manager, but now I know it won’t happen. It hurts me and it’ll constantly be niggling away at the back of my mind,” Terry admitted.

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