John Terry set for Chelsea return against Leicester City - Chelsea still lack a solution without him.

The Premier League Champions Leicester City travel to Stamford Bridge for this Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off as Chelsea prepare to welcome John Terry back into action. Chelsea still has not found a solution to cope without him.

There are plenty of Pundits out there these days. TV, Newspapers, Sports News Channels and Internet Sites are full of them giving their “knowledge” of the game. One thing all of them agree is that you cannot buy experience in the game and it’s priceless if you are trying to build a team to be successful.

For what seems like years, we have all had to come to terms with the fact that the greatest Premier League Defender of his era and in history will one day hang up his boots and retire from the game. The problem during that time and to the current day is that Chelsea seem to be nowhere near ready to find the right replacement as our woeful defensive displays against Liverpool and Arsenal has highlighted.

There are those who have a natural instinct in life to lead and those who choose to follow. Those who are happy to take the Bull by it’s horns and shake things up, give people what for and to try and motivate people around them. To stand up and fight and to inspire those who look up to them. John Terry is, and always has been the leader at Chelsea.

The problem Chelsea are faced with throughout the team and not just at the back is the lack of leaders and an influential spine. We were blessed to have had that for over a decade but now just JT remains.

Without John Terry in the side, when things go wrong, the players look around at each other, looking to blame someone else and to look for someone to give them inspiration. Gary Cahill and the defensive unit have become a laughing stock with costly defensive errors and a real lack of guidance. They all need John Terry there next to them, talking to them, organising them and giving them all a focal point.

It will be interesting to see who Antonio Conte decides to play next to JT this weekend against Leicester with Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azplicueta the choice in the previous game for his three at the back formation. However, one thing is clear, with John Terry there, those costly defensive errors will not be tolerated.

John Terry has such an influence on the team and on the game and that comes from his ability, his experience and his willingness to live or die for a clean sheet. I simply do not see that in anyone else at the moment, which is a major concern.

Let’s hope there are plans on the horizon to replace Terry when he decides to call it a day with someone of at least the same ability and influence. Tomas Kalas and Andreas Christensen are being hyped up to be those players with Christensen expected to become a first team regular next season. However, it’s one thing to play abroad and another to play in the Premier League for a side that is expected to deliver trophies every season. They will need time to come in and settle down but do we honestly believe they will be afforded that?

Chelsea are faced with a question everyone has been asking for at least five years now:

"How do you replace John Terry?"