John Terry's operation has apparently gone well, and the Chelsea captain should be back in weeks as opposed to months, but it will still be far too long for the Premiership champions who have discovered that life without their captain involves a lot of poor defending.

They're short on centre backs at Stamford Bridge right now (when you're actually missing the presence of Khalid Boulahrouz, there's a problem) and it really told against Reading. Ricardo Carvalho's pairing with makeshift central defender Paulo Ferreira looked leakier than your incontinent auntie (Ed: Disgusting.), especially when Leroy lita and his oddly shaved eyebrow stooped to head home unchallenged.

If only Chelsea hadn't offloaded Robert Huth to Middlesbrough and annoyed William Gallas enough to have to ship him to Arsenal in part exchange for Ashley Cole this summer then maybe things wouldn't be quite so shaky.

Gallas was an unhappy fullback but top man in central defence, and how Mourinho must be missing him right now. And when Ashley Cole did his best Djimi Traore impression, bouncing his hack of a clearance off Michael Essien and past Hilario on Boxing Day, Manchester United's lead grew in what looks to be a, very close, two-horse race this time around.

So while Mourinho might have thought signing Cole for Gallas plus the contents of Roman Abramovich's pockets at the time was a bargain, and that trimming his squad was necessary to keep everyone happy, it could end up costing Chelsea the title this season. For a club with virtually unlimited transfer funds, their squad makeup and size is entirely up to the club and manager. Two costly bad decisions from The Special One in the same season? Unthinkable!

And it begs the all important question: What was so bad about Wayne Bridge?

Originally Published on CaughtOffside.