Andreas Christensen sought out John Terry for advice this month after experiencing a first dip in form since establishing himself in the first team at Chelsea this season.

The Denmark international returned from a two-year loan spell with Borussia Mönchengladbach last summer and immediately proved himself a key performer in Antonio Conte’s backline. Christensen effectively ousted David Luiz, with his calm authority and ability on the ball marking him out, until recent high-profile errors served to remind of his relative inexperience.

The centre-half, 21, was culpable for Barcelona’s equaliser in the first leg of Chelsea’s Champions League knockout tie last month and for concessions in subsequent defeats by Manchester United and Manchester City, errors made to feel all the more significant given his previously excellent form. Christensen duly sought out Terry, now at Aston Villa but a visitor to Chelsea’s training ground this month, for reassurance.

“I try to keep things inside the club, not bringing anything home with me,” Christensen told Eurosport in Denmark. “My team-mates have seen all my other performances, so they know that these mistakes aren’t typical for me. I have had a smaller talk with John Terry: he has also experienced setbacks and it is always nice to talk to someone watching it from the outside and to learn that they have experienced the same.

“He told me that it is natural to make mistakes and he tried to put it in perspective for me saying that, if a forward misses a chance, he can make it good again by scoring when he gets the next opportunity. But we can’t change a goal scored against us, so when we make mistakes it is more crucial and it is easy for people to point fingers. I have realised it, looked at it and now I have moved on.

“It has been difficult. You are not doubting yourself, but you might get a bit more cautious in what you do, and that can make things even worse. So it is difficult to move on. I’ve been annoyed at myself, and that is difficult to get rid of – especially when there is a week between the matches, because then you have a whole week to think about it. You just want to move on to the next match so that you can play a match without mistakes. I can’t avoid making mistakes but in some games the mistakes have been decisive, so now I am just waiting for the next games to come, so I can prove that the mistakes aren’t typical for me.”

Christensen impressed in Chelsea’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win at Leicester City on Sunday – he was substituted for Gary Cahill in extra time following his midweek exertions at Camp Nou – and continues to benefit from his head coach’s support.

“I thought I might be out of the next match [after the errors] but I try to tell myself that before these matches I have played all the other ones almost with no mistakes at all,” Christensen said. “I hope that is the reason I get to start, because the coach knows he can trust me, I haven’t made any mistakes, but been very solid for a long period. I am focusing on all the good games I have played this season.”