Chelsea Need John Terry If They're Ever to Repeat the Spirit of Spurs Derby

Now that the dust has settled and the adrenaline has returned to healthy levels, Chelsea can reflect.

Monday night was a fine spectacle for the Premier League, let alone London derbies in general. The Chelsea-Tottenham Hotspur rivalry has been given a healthy boost that means we're already licking our lips at the prospect of the clubs' first encounter next season.

The 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge was complete chaos. There's no better way to describe it.

From Chelsea's end, the buildup to the game smacked of John Terry controlling the narrative. There were players goading others in the media, talking of a dislike for Spurs as they called out to fans to let them know they understood the job they were shouldering.

In his programme notes on Monday, Terry pushed the agenda further.

"Tonight is a huge game, a London derby against one of our big rivals...," Terry started off. "We know what this fixture means and, as with all our remaining games, we will be looking to win it."

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It was captain talk, but not from just any skipper. This was Terry, the man who has come to define Chelsea over the course of the 12 years since he inherited the armband from Marcel Desailly.

"We know tonight is going to be a completely different type of game [to those Chelsea have before the end of the season], and we will have to battle hard to take the points from this match."

Chelsea's players heard Terry's calls. The words from Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Pedro leading into the game suggested it was a theme being pushed from inside the dressing room the moment the countdown started.

Chelsea didn't want Spurs to win the league. It's one thing desiring that, but quite another to go out and play with the sort of passion we saw to prevent it happening.

There were times in the first half when it boiled over for Chelsea. We can point to the nine yellow cards that Spurs picked up on the night—Chelsea had three—to suggest it was they who felt the occasion more, yet before the interval, Mauricio Pochettino's side were playing the better football.

They wanted to match Chelsea's physicality, yet it didn't come at the expense of the way they were playing. Chelsea, on the other hand, seemed to lack any shape and needed a Hazard wonder-show to get them back in it.

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Chelsea's performance as a whole stemmed from Terry's influence, though. We saw his footprint on the team; how else would Pedro have understood what it meant to Chelsea if they lost at home to Spurs?

There was much more than Leicester City's Premier League title to play for. There was that remarkable undefeated home record against Spurs that goes back to 1990 which, had they lost, would've seen Chelsea collapse beyond recovery this term.

The reset button would have been well and truly hit. We would have seen 26 years of history wiped out in 90 minutes, the pendulum of power swinging back into Spurs' favour after years of Chelsea knocking them down.

There were 11 players on the pitch for Chelsea on Monday; there was one leader. Terry may not be the player we once knew, but his spirit that has defined the club hasn't weakened.

Terry's Instagram post after sealing the draw that ended Spurs' title hopes summed it up: "#NotOnMyShift," he said, outlining how far his feeling toward Chelsea's London rivals runs.

Players of his kind are vital, as they form the very fabric of a football club. He is to Chelsea what Johan Cruyff was to Barcelona—he defines them. He hasn't been the best player in Chelsea's history—Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Peter Osgood outdo him in those stakes—yet as a figurehead and leader, the club hasn't seen one finer.

How do you replace that? Right now, Chelsea don't know. There isn't a player at the club yet who can match Terry's influence, and as Roman Abramovich has found at times since he purchased Chelsea in 2003, there are some things you can't buy.

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Chelsea didn't pay for Terry; they made him. He was raised on a diet of the past, fed the traditions of the club by Dennis Wise that in turn had been passed down from the likes of Ron Harris and Ossie himself. Like those names before him, Terry's not just been a custodian; he's carved out his own place in Chelsea folklore.

In his press conference ahead of Monday's London derby, Hiddink spoke of how he sees Terry as a irreplaceable figure in west London.

"Would we have done better with him in the team? Yes, that is the problem," Hiddink stated, when asked how much Terry had been missed during his recent injury layoff.

There were more decisive moments for Chelsea's season throughout March. Chelsea could've continued their Champions League pursuit and also their hopes in the FA Cup, had results gone their way. They crashed out with a whimper in both competitions instead, Terry watching on from the sidelines.

At 35, his days of leading Chelsea out down the Stamford Bridge tunnel every week are over. it doesn't mean his Chelsea career has to be. He still has plenty to offer the Blues.

Want a repeat of the Spurs derby next season? Keep John Terry.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes