John Terry: Title Race Wide Open

Chelsea defender John Terry believes it will be an open title race this season, with four of five teams in with a chance of winning the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho takes his Chelsea side to Old Trafford on Monday Night Football for an intriguing encounter with defending champions Manchester United.

But their rivals Manchester City impressed Terry in their 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle and he predicted there would be a tough battle for the Premiership crown in 2013/14.

"It has got harder. Manchester United ran away with it last year without being at the top of their game," Terry told Geoff Shreeves on Weekend Warm-Up.

"I didn't see Manchester United as being excellent all season long and in fact they seemed beatable in a few games I watched.

"They have a very good camaraderie in the squad and a never-say-die attitude which stems from being under Sir Alex (Ferguson).

"They scored a lot of late goals but I think it is a very tough league and it is between four or five big teams to really challenge.

"Manchester City looked good. I watched their game against Newcastle and even though they (Newcastle) were down to 10-men, I though they looked good.

"They are solid and the Etihad is a tough place to go. They have got a good squad and a good base of English players.

"When the new guys come in they learn what the club and the Premiership is all about."

Terry also emphasised the importance of making a positive start to the campaign against your title rivals as he looked ahead to an early test of Chelsea's title credentials on Monday night.

"These games are important because you don't want to drift three points behind Manchester United, let alone Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City," he added.