Preseason Scouting Guide to Chelsea's John Terry

There was a time when John Terry seemed infallible—every bit Chelsea's captain, leader, legend, as they like to say at Stamford Bridge.

But after a season that saw him make just 11 Premier League starts—the lowest at any time in his Blues career—it's left many to question whether or not his powers have waned beyond repair.

The 2013-14 campaign has an air of make-or-break about it for Terry. He has been such a fine servant of Chelsea in the past decade, but with the team and club changing around him, it all means very little as Jose Mourinho plans for the future.

The former England captain knows he has a point or two prove over the coming months, and with this in mind Bleacher Report assesses how well he has prepared during preseason.

Fitness

It was John Terry's first game back in the Chelsea lineup following his four-game suspension for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand when he collided with Liverpool's Luis Suarez, injuring his knee last November.

The resulting injury saw him remain out of action for two months, and although he returned in early January to face Stoke City in a 4-0 win, he didn't look quite the same player for the remainder of the season.

If that wasn't already enough, he faced being rotated by Rafa Benitez, before finally ending his season with an ankle injury against Aston Villa on the penultimate day of 2012-13, missing the Europa League final.

With the summer break used to rest his aching body, it appears Terry has put the time to good use. He may not be at his peak fitness just yet, but he has appeared in every game of preseason ahead of the Guinness International Champions Cup final with Real Madrid, which suggests his body is ready to take the strain once more.

He did receive a scare against Inter Milan on August 1, though, when he was on the receiving end of a horror tackle from Hugo Campagnaro, which saw the defender sent off.

You can view the tackle in the video below.

Form

He already has one goal to his name this preseason, so John Terry will no doubt be happy with his return from that perspective, but what of his overall defensive displays?

On their tour of Asia, Chelsea's opposition lacked the cutting edge to really pose any questions or a real threat, but with the Blues now in the United States, they would have noticed a sharp rise in the level of opponent, already facing Inter Milan and AC Milan before meeting Real Madrid and Roma later this week.

Terry has come through both games against the Milanese relatively unscathed, with his performances edging him closer to fitness and some semblance of form.

He has looked strong in the air, and as ever, his strong positioning and reading of the game has been evident.

It's clear the consistent game time is helping his progress. Whereas he struggled under Rafa Benitez last term, never getting a proper opportunity to build up a head of steam, this preseason has allowed him to get plenty of minutes and he is looking better for it.

Will he start as Mourinho's No. 1 defender?

"He's not safe, and he knows he's not safe. The only thing he knows is safe is our friendship, but professionally, nobody's safe," Jose Mourinho was quoted as saying by BBC Sport when discussing John Terry's position in the Chelsea first-team in July. 

"I know he's a very good player, but he must prove himself like everyone else."

Well, Terry's gone some way to proving himself already this summer, and while there may have been questions raised about him remaining Chelsea captain had he not been in the starting XI, those doubts have long dissipated, too.

The 32-year-old has worn the armband in every game he has featured in Asia and the U.S. throughout preseason, reinforcing the regard with which he is held.

Given that he has led the team on their travels across the globe, it's difficult to consider Mourinho will not be picking Terry to lead Chelsea into the new campaign either.

And if he's fit and back to form, there's little reason why he shouldn't.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here: @garryhayes