December 25, 2024
Chelsea: Didier Drogba says he does not recognise his former club
Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba says he does not “recognise the club” as a poor season continued with defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The 4-0 aggregate defeat means the Blues will end the season without a trophy despite the lavish transfer spending under new owner Todd Boehly.
They are unlikely to be in any European competition next year as they currently sit 11th in the Premier League.
“It is not the same club any more,” Drogba, 45, told Canal+.
“I don’t recognise my club. There is a new owner and a new vision.”
Drogba won 12 major honours at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2012 under previous owner Roman Abramovich, whose generous backing turned the Blues into serial trophy winners following his takeover of the club in 2003.
The 56-year-old was forced to sell the club last year after he was sanctioned by the UK government over alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin, with American investor Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital completing a £4.25bn takeover in May 2022.
They spent about £550m across the summer and winter transfer windows to amass a first-team squad of 30 players, but that has failed to translate into success on the pitch.
They have sacked managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter this season, while interim boss Frank Lampard has lost all four of his matches in charge since taking over for a second spell earlier this month.
“A dressing room with 30 players is difficult to manage for the coach, whoever he is,” added Drogba.
“We try to compare with what was done under the Abramovich era, where there were many acquisitions of players, but the choices were very intelligent.
“Bringing in players like Petr Cech, Andriy Shevchenko, Hernan Crespo, Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, and I go on. It was to win titles and they are players who already have some experience. Here the strategy is different, they bet on young players.
“I think they certainly lack charismatic players and leaders. It needs players who take responsibility.”
Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast: “Under Abramovich, 90% of the players coming in needed to perform straight away. And if you don’t, you are out.
“Now there is a group of players who arrived in January, except perhaps Enzo [Fernandez] and Joao Felix, that look like they are more for the future.
“The future is what, next year? Two years? Chelsea fans are not used to waiting.”
Speaking before Tuesday’s match against Real, Frank Lampard dismissed suggestions the club is “broken”, though he admitted they are “not where we want to be”.
Speaking after the game the former midfielder added: “There are probably reasons for the transition. We can’t be too short-term with it.
“People will make a lot out of this season for Chelsea because we’ve had so much success. The reality is that this club is going to be back.”
Analysis
Lucy Oliva, BBC Radio London
With Chelsea’s faint Champions League dreams dashed on Wednesday, it now feels like damage limitation could be the main objective for the rest of this chastening campaign.
There are seven games still to play in the Premier League before the club, players and fans can take stock, and it is difficult to see how Frank Lampard will be able to pick his squad up and prevent their already record-breakingly bad form spiralling even further.
A free weekend offers respite from the recent misery, but by the next time Chelsea play – against Brentford at Stamford Bridge on 26 April – they could be level on points with Crystal Palace – the same Crystal Palace who up until three weeks ago were at serious risk of relegation.
The Blues might even be only nine points above the bottom three if Nottingham Forest could pull off a shock at Liverpool this weekend.
Some may talk about being dragged into a relegation battle in jest, but with Arsenal, Manchester City and Newcastle all still to face – plus Bournemouth and Forest, who are both fighting for their top-flight status – the current doom and gloom suggests it is difficult to see where Chelsea will pick up their next point.
Currently on 39 points, they have got to find another 11 from somewhere if they are to match their lowest Premier League return of 50, set in the 1995-96 and 2015-16 seasons.
There’s just 39 days to wait until they can call time on the 2022-23 season, but then the real fun begins.
It feels like they are entering the abyss this summer – and who knows who, or what, will come out the other side of this latest tumultuous chapter in the history of Chelsea Football Club. – bbc.com
