Terry defends Chelsea in row as Valencia suffers cup shock
CHELSEA skipper John Terry has staunchly defended the conduct of his side during their Champions League demise at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Talismanic Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off for a foul on Oscar and branded Chelsea players “babies” for swarming around referee Bjorn Kuipers in a bid to influence his decision.
Terry insisted Chelsea were merely replicating the same approach of the French Ligue 1 outfit and the nine players that surrounded the Dutch match official were simply doing so in a demonstration of solidarity.
“Once they’re charging the ref, the only thing we can do is respond. You can’t let them surround the ref, trying to get our players booked,” said Terry.
“If I have to run 20-30 yards, it doesn’t look great, but when you’re standing back and seeing five or six of their players surrounding the ref, I think I support my team-mates. And once I go, four or five go with me.
“It doesn’t look good at all, but that’s part of the game. We’ll match it if people want to mix it. That’s part of our game as well. You have to stick up for your team-mates. Every other side is as bad as each other. It’s part of the game.”
West Ham striker Enner Valencia, meanwhile, is set to miss tomorrow’s clash with Arsenal at Emirates Stadium after cutting his big toe after stepping on a broken teacup. The Ecuador forward required emergency hospital treatment following the incident on Tuesday evening, the latest injury problem for Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, who is also without strikers Andy Carroll and Carlton Cole for the trip to Arsenal.