John Terry, the Chelsea captain, believes that coach Avram Grant was right not to tell his players the side for the Carling Cup final until hours before the kick-off.

Chelsea put in a disjointed performance and after taking the lead were ultimately beaten 2-1, giving Tottenham Hotspur their first trophy since the 1999 triumph over Leicester City in the Worthington Cup.

Terry’s place in the starting line-up, along with that of Frank Lampard, his England team-mate, had been under scrutiny ever since the pair were omitted from Grant’s side for the Champions League clash with Olympiacos five days earlier.

But Terry insists their preparations for the final were not hampered by the speculation surrounding their places in the team.

“The manager keeps it all very close to his chest,” he said. “None of us knew until Sunday, and that is how it has been in every game.

“So there was no change or excuse. That is the way it has got to be. It keeps everyone on their toes - and as a group of players, we have to deal with it.

“I am gutted, and the lads are gutted inside. I just can’t believe how we’ve played. They started a lot brighter than us, but at 1-0 up we looked in control. But then things were spoiled.

“After they started well, I thought we soaked up a lot of their pressure. We didn’t really keep the ball as well as we can do - and overall we were not at the races. That is the most disappointing thing - going to some tough places to get here and blowing it on the day. It is not a good feeling believe me. It was very disappointing. ”

Terry makes no secret of how badly Chelsea, who were the holders, wanted to win again.

“You hear people say the Carling Cup doesn’t mean anything - but you try telling that to the players in our dressing room,” he added.

“You can tell by their faces what it means to them. Every year we put a strong side out.

“But we were not good enough overall. As a team, as individuals and collectively we were just not good enough . It is hard to say, but Tottenham deserved it. ”

Michael Ballack, the Germany captain, has no problems with Grant after being left on the substitutes’ bench for the start of Sunday’s final at Wembley.

Ballack was later introduced into the action as Chelsea chased the game - but said: “I have to accept it, like everyone else who was not playing.

“It was a decision from the coach. The team sheet was put up before the game - and that was it.”

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