Di Matteo is right to plan for life after Terry and Lampard

John Terry’s retirement from international football means England will have to do without his towering presence in defence. And eventually there will come a time when Chelsea will have to as well.

Fans got an early taste of life without Terry – and Frank Lampard – when the pair were left out of the starting line-up against Stoke on Saturday.

For more than a decade they have been synonymous with Chelsea, the centrepieces of a spell of unprecedented success.

Lampard, with his record for most consecutive Premier League games for an outfield player, seemed particularly ever-present.

And while Terry may have missed more games over the years through injuries, there was always a sense he would try to play even if he had a limb hanging off.

But times change. Lampard is now 34. Players older than him, such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes at Manchester United, have been helped in prolonging their careers by getting a rest every now and again and not being expected to start every game.

Andre Villas-Boas tried to phase Lampard out of the team a year ago but reportedly didn’t explain why to him.

We were told Lampard still wanted to play every week and Villas-Boas didn’t speak to him about why he was being left out.

But importantly, there were occasions when Lampard would miss more than one game and it began to look like more than just a rest for an ageing club legend.

We all have to hope Roberto Di Matteo is sensible enough not to fall into the same trap.

If he is going to occasionally rest the pair, surely he will be smart enough to explain that is what he’s doing – trying to prolong their careers by not putting them through the same physical exertions they happily went through when they were in their mid-20s.

The game against Stoke wasn’t easy, but it came between fixtures against Juventus and Arsenal and it’s notable it was the Stoke match Terry and Lampard missed.

If either is on the bench for the game at the Emirates on Saturday I’ll be surprised and disappointed.

Terry’s omission against Stoke meant Gary Cahill came into the team and it was important that happened.

Cahill is similar to Terry in many ways; tough, with good positional sense, clean in the tackle and good on the ball. He could be his long-term successor – not as emblematic club figurehead but purely as a defender.

So it’s important Cahill doesn’t get left out too often, become disillusioned and look to move on before he gets the chance to fill Terry’s boots permanently. He had another solid game on Saturday.

There seems to be less cover for Lampard than there was a year ago, particularly after the departures of Michael Essien and Raul Meireles.

That might leave Di Matteo with less scope than his predecessor had to omit the 188-goal man. And if that means Lampard plays in big matches I won’t complain, as long as he’s still playing well.

Terry’s retirement from England duty – whatever the real reasons behind it – will help Chelsea keep him in peak condition to keep playing for the club. He’s 31, not ancient, and it could prolong his club career.

If sensibly used and fortunate with injuries, Terry and Lampard, who between them have played more than 1,100 games for Chelsea, can keep going for a while yet, but we need to plan for life without them.

Let’s accept that and enjoy this pair of incredible footballers for as long as we’ve got them.

James Clarke is the author of Moody Blues: Following the second-best team in Europe

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