John Terry has admitted he is ‘nervous’ about Arsenal wiping out Chelsea’s Premier League record of the lowest number of goals conceded in a season.
Terry, 44, was at the heart of Jose Mourinho’s formidable Blues side that leaked just 15 goals on their way to winning the title in the 2004-05 campaign.
The record has been untouchable in the two decades since, with Chelsea themselves coming closest after conceding just 22 the following season, as well as Manchester United in 2007-08 and Liverpool in 2018-19.
But talk of the feat being smashed is growing week on week, particularly the longer the likes of David Raya, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães go with shutting out their opponents.
Mikel Arteta’s iron-clad outfit have let in just three goals so far after ten games in which they have visited tough venues such as Old Trafford, Anfield and St James’ Park, and Terry now fears that the Blues’ record could be under threat.
‘I have to say I’m actually a little bit worried now,’ the Chelsea legend said posting to TikTok.
John Terry fears Chelsea’s Premier League record being smashed by Arsenal this season
The Blues conceded 15 goals during the 2004-05 title-winning campaign under Jose Mourinho
Arsenal’s defence has been exceptional this season – conceding just three league goals so far
‘I’m looking at their fixtures on a weekly basis, seeing where they’re going to potentially concede goals but I have to say, I have to give them credit, they look very good at the moment.
‘I still think it’s going to be too much to beat our record but being honest, I’m a little nervous.’
Terry added that while Arsenal’s next match on Saturday afternoon at home Sunderland is ‘not an easy game’, he does not expect the Black Cats to bag a goal in north London.
The 44-year-old, who formerly held roles as assistant manager at Aston Villa and Leicester City, also spoke about The Gunners’ ability from set-pieces.
Arsenal have already bagged ten goals from dead ball scenarios this season and coach Nicolas Jover has been widely praised for the transformation.
But Terry believes it is ‘way easier’ to score from corners and free-kicks in the modern game due to the change in refereeing.
Terry also discussed Arsenal’s set-piece prowess which coach Nicolas Jover has overseen
‘I think set plays nowadays for me are way easier to score goals so from an attacking point of view,’ he said.
‘You can’t block, you can’t be really physical with individuals within the box as well because you have VAR, the refs looking at it, things can be stopped at any point so the freedom for these players to get free from their man and opponent is so much easier.
‘So I’m not surprised that a lot of teams and Arsenal are one of them, Chelsea are doing very well as well, we’ve got our own set-piece coaching who’s doing a great job.
‘Arsenal have their own as well that’s obviously getting a lot of headlines as well but I think from an attacking point of view, I think it’s a lot easier.
‘Defending these set plays, you then have to be the complete opposite to that, you can’t be physical like I said before, you can’t make blocks within the box as well but I think it’s a real opportunity for players and defenders attacking these corners to go and get on the score sheet.’
