How John Terry's Absence Has Finally Allowed Chelsea to Move Forward

All good things must come to an end. Just ask Chelsea captain John Terry.

There doesn't seem to be a way back for him at Stamford Bridge now. After a glorious career that has not just defined this generation but Chelsea as a football club, it seems he is being gradually phased out by manager Antonio Conte.

Currently injured, even if he were fit right now, Terry wouldn't be featured in Chelsea's new-look back three. He hasn't started in any of the Blues' matches during their 11-game winning streak. The only match he has started since September was in the EFL Cup against West Ham United—a game Chelsea lost 2-1.

Rather than a sense of doom and gloom setting in at the club, Chelsea are rejoicing in the fact. It's not through a lack of emotion toward Terry but more because what it represents. After years of procrastinating, Chelsea are finally moving forward.

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First it was Didier Drogba leaving in 2012 before he was followed out of the door by Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech. When Jose Mourinho was sacked last December, it seemed to finally close the door on the generation that has made Chelsea's name in the modern game.

Terry was still lurking, though, which told us plenty about where Chelsea were headed. We weren't sure, and it seemed the club wasn't, either. Terry was loitering, being kept on as some sort of connection to the past while the club decided what the future would look like. With no visible identity planned, Chelsea needed to retain the one they did have.

Then Conte stepped into the picture.

What we've seen this season has been a major boost for Chelsea. Conte has got the club back to the top of the table by completely ripping up the rule book and building from the ground up. The whole culture has changed from the way the team plays football to how the manager conducts himself in public.

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While the going's good, it's easy for Conte to smile and laugh along with journalists. But at times when he's felt pressure, the controversy that seemed to envelope other managers in the past hasn't been there. His job has been about rebranding Chelsea's overall image as much as it has been restoring pride on the pitch.

It has helped that Terry hasn't been around to prevent him doing that. Conte has been fortunate as Terry's presence has been a damaging factor in the past. Not because he is a negative influence but simply through what he represents. How does any manager enter a club and discard of legends in the name of progress? It simply doesn't happen.

By doing that, clubs have their heart ripped from them. It needs to be more considered—a respect shown for what has been achieved in the past. In terms of progress, it hinders it, however.

So long Chelsea's strength, Terry has been the club's Achilles heel at times. It was the same for Drogba and Lampard. As hindsight tells us, so it proved for Mourinho, who fans desperately wanted back at the club to serve them again.

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Figures as strong as them—perhaps icons is more apt—create the notion of a golden age. It's memories of what they achieved that inspire the belief they can do it all again. Or in the case of Terry, that he can keep doing it. It's difficult to separate the reality.

Looking to the past has held Chelsea back in the past few years. The club hasn't moved forward quickly enough, rather remaining in limbo as they dragged out a transition from one generation to the next. It's been painful, but with Terry and the others now no longer in the picture in a playing sense, Conte has been given rein to look forward.

Look at the spine of Chelsea now—over these record-breaking 11 games especially. From seemingly not having one last year, it's changed dramatically. From Thibaut Courtois in goal to David Luiz, N'Golo Kante, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, these are the players the new Chelsea revolves around.

Without Terry playing football matches, the complexion of Chelsea's starting lineup has changed completely. Confidence in it has, too, and now we're seeing a new club emerge.

This sort of progress is no stranger in football. When David Beckham departed Manchester United in 2003, his replacement was a young Cristiano Ronaldo. Over time, the No. 7 shirt at Old Trafford became his. He stepped out of Beckham's shadow and it was made easier by the fact he wasn't around.

That's what we've seen at Chelsea now. Terry hasn't been there for the players to lean on in matches or for him to inspire them with a captain's performance. That responsibility has fallen to others during the four months since he last started a Premier League game. New heroes have emerged. Other players have found their voice and have started to trust in their own instincts.

This is a new Chelsea. Without Terry on the scene, this is Conte's Chelsea.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.