In some of the more absurd moments of John Terry’s career, his bravery has occasionally resembled that of the Black Knight, who insisted on fighting on despite being reduced to a head and torso in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Some psychological scars take longer to heal than the knight’s so-called scratch, but it comes as little surprise that, two months after his anguish in the Champions League final, the Chelsea captain is ready to dust himself down and go again.

It says much about Terry’s leadership that Luiz Felipe Scolari had no hesitation in appointing him as captain after the briefest of meetings, ignoring the claims of such experienced players as Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco. The 28-year-old has had much to cope with in recent months – misery in Moscow, the frustration of missing the European Championship finals and the fear of losing the England captaincy – but Scolari has no doubts that Terry will emerge from his ordeals as a stronger person.

Standing in the bowels of Macau Stadium on Saturday after Chelsea’s 7-0 stroll against Chengdu Blades, it became clear why. “I’ve put it to bed now, it’s a new season and we go again,” Terry said. “We went to the top and we are looking to go back there again this season. We’ve made some great signings, like Deco, and with these kind of players coming to the club there’s no point me thinking ‘Oh, I could have won the Champions League that year’ when I’m 35 or 40.

“I’ve still got some great years ahead of me. We’ve got some great players and, with the manager we’ve got, I’ve still got a great possibility of going on to win the Champions League. It’s down to myself to drive this team forward again.”

Terry’s recovery process has not involved revisiting Chelsea’s epic penalty shoot-out defeat by Manchester United, although the memories should come flooding back when he returns to Moscow for a preseason tournament this week after a brief stop in Kuala Lumpur.

“I’ve not watched the final again and don’t think I ever will,” Terry said. “It’s obviously weird going back to Moscow. I was devastated after the final, there is no doubt about that, but the England game [against the United States in May] put me back on the straight and narrow. I do still think about it and did over the summer, but it was great to get back on the pitch, get the goal for England and go away for a break.

“I have to be professional and forget about it now for the new season. I am still playing and have a great set of players around me. I’m going to do all I can to make the most of my opportunities.”

Terry leads by example rather than consulting management manuals, although his words do have the ability to inspire. More than any great insight, his relentless rabble-rousing is crucial to building Chelsea’s much-vaunted team spirit and he has been at it again on this trip, cajoling new arrivals to confirm to a club tradition of singing for their teammates. Terry was once staggered to receive a huge cheque in advance from Hernán Crespo as a fine for excusing himself from a paint-balling outing, but not even the chief executive wriggles out of team-bonding exercises these days.

“We’re getting to know each other and we’ve already done a couple of singsongs,” Terry said. “It might sound silly to some people, but it’s been a tradition at the club for years and it helps people settle in. José Bosingwa was shocking to be fair, but Deco did all right. Two of the manager’s staff, Darlan [Schneider] and Flavio [Teixeira] went up last night and they got a guitar out and everything.

“When the lads come here and hear about it they’re s****ing themselves. They go out there and play in front of 40,000, 60,000 or 80,000 people and yet they’re frightened to get up in front of 24 mates. The gaffer will do it and we’ve persuaded Peter Kenyon to have a go in Kuala Lumpur.”

Scolari’s voice is generally reserved for imparting the accumulated wisdom of a 26-year career, however, with Terry contrasting him favourably with his predecessor, Avram Grant.

“Now we’ve got a manager who can lead the team as well,” Terry said. “He is a great football man, his record speaks for itself with the things he has done with top teams all over the world. He understands players. He has been there, played and managed some great players in his time.

“You can speak to him and he’s a very nice man with it, but I wouldn’t like to cross him. He has a good sense of humour, but there is the other side to him as well, believe me. We have not seen it yet, but I’m sure we will do over the course of the season.”

Terry may want to introduce Scolari to Monty Python to keep him laughing.