John Terry "The manager has already stressed it is going to be even tougher."

John Terry starts this season as the last player remaining at the club from Jose Mourinho's first title winning season in 2004/5. After Legends of the club have left, JT revealed it was something he didn't quite expect.

In two seasons we have seen Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech all leave the club after glittering careers in the most successful period of our history. All three along with JT formed the core of the team that everything was built around and a core that served us so well for a decade.

Now, ten years on and as he prepares for a another season in the Premier League, John Terry has revealed how hard it's going to be to retain the League title and his position in the side.

He said:

“If you look back, I would not have thought I’d be the last one here to be honest.

I am still delighted to be here. Players come, players go and the club moves on - and the aim is still to win things, which is the most important.

Certainly with this side and the characters we have in the dressing room last year and the year before that we can handle big players departing.

When I look back at that side and this side, they’re very similar. It is only Jon Obi Mikel and myself that are left that experienced it at that time and went through it. We hope we can emulate it and go again.

The manager has already stressed it is going to be even tougher. But having experienced it first hand, that is going to be a little bit on the plus side for us as well rather than us not knowing what is coming.

I know it’s an old cliche but having won it before I know how difficult it is to retain it the following year.

Everyone raises the game. We’ve got to be right both physically and mentally.

We did our buying last year and the manager has added a couple more this summer.

We know that other teams are doing some big buying at the minute. But he feels and we feel we have a good enough squad.

The other clubs have made good signings and for big money too. They are going to come back hungry anyway and we know it’s going to be even tougher.

Clubs have had to put on £5m more on players than they thought they had to pay but maybe that is because of how good we were last year. Maybe that has forced them into it.

If I can keep my form, I am in the side. But if I don’t keep my form he will have no qualms about taking me out and putting someone else in.

I am always looking ahead. These past five, six years, I haven’t thought about each pre-season maybe being my last one.

Every summer I work more or less every day to give myself the best chance. But if it comes to that point where I am left out of the side I will know it’s not through any fault of not trying.

To look at myself in the mirror and my family, that is all I do in my career."

John Terry had arguably, one of his best ever seasons in the Premier League and the pressure is on him to go one better this time around.

We have heard him recently talk of the manager pushing everyone in training to be the best they can be on a daily basis and for JT it's no different.

Plenty of people had written him off before a ball was kicked last season and now look at him. He remains the best centre half in the Premier League.

With no Cech, Drogba or Lampard in the dressing room, it will be more important than ever for the likes of JT and others to be heard and to bring people together.

If Chelsea are to challenge for the title to try and become the first side in six seasons to retain the trophy, we will need JT and everyone to up their game this time around.