Scolari hails captain fantastic

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By Chris Burton   Last updated: 29th November 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Scolari hails captain fantastic

Terry: Born leader

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Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari believes John Terry embodies everything that a captain should be.

The England international continues to lead by example for both club and country and is widely regarded as one of the most passionate performers in the footballing world.

His never-say-die attitude is infectious, helping those around him to buy into his belief that anything is possible.

Scolari feels it is these attributes which make the centre-half the ideal candidate to carry the armband at Stamford Bridge.

Leader

The Brazilian was speaking ahead of a crunch showdown with Arsenal on Sunday, with the Gunners still reeling from having to change their own captaincy following shock revelations from former skipper William Gallas.

"The captain is the face for the coach on the pitch" said Scolari. "When I was captain of teams in Brazil, I was the face of my coach.

"I told the players on the pitch what the coach wanted. When John Terry was born, he was born a captain. He is the best captain a coach could have."

Scolari knows that victory over the Gunners this weekend would open the gap between them and their London rivals to 13 points, virtually writing Arsene Wenger's side out of the title race.

Intelligent

With that in mind, the South American coach is hoping that his side will be able to handle the considerable attacking talents possessed by their capital neighbours.

"I think Arsenal will attack us more than the other teams," he added.

"But it won't be easy for us. Maybe we will have some opportunities that other teams have not given us.

"If we are intelligent, we will have chances to counter-attack. Arsenal play football - they are one of the best in the Premier League for that. They have a good defence but they try to attack more than defend.

"It is a different game for us and I will see if my defence is as good as I think."