Source: Daily_Mail
Welcome to life without Drogba! Chelsea striker to miss Porto clash
No sooner are Chelsea digesting the ramifications of their latest run-in with the authorities than the repercussions of a previous transgression come back to haunt them.
The full force of the FIFA transfer embargo, if Chelsea’s appeal is unsuccessful, will have little effect on this season’s Champions League campaign.
But falling foul of UEFA last season and the consequent ban for Didier Drogba, not to mention Jose Bosingwa, could yet prove far more detrimental to Chelsea’s chances.
Didier Drogba
And the banned plays on : Didier Drogba shoots during training, watched by Chelsea understudies (from left) Fabio Borini, Jeffrey Bruma, Sam Hutchinson and Daniel Sturridge
The snarling, finger-waving harassment of Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo after Chelsea crashed out against Barcelona in the semifinals was originally meant to cost Drogba four European games — which was reduced by one game on appeal.
But such was the level of displeasure at boardroom level, many observers presumed that Drogba’s entire Chelsea career was on the line. For the second summer running, it seems only a lack of suitors prevented a parting of the ways.
Nowadays you will struggle to find a member of the Chelsea hierarchy who still feels the best course of action is to get shot of the Ivory Coast striker. Rather, they will only lament that Drogba is not available for tonight’s Group D opener against FC Porto.
Carlo Ancelotti is understandably philosophical about Drogba’s absence.
‘Didier has been going very well, he scores goals and works very hard for the team,’ said the Chelsea manager.
‘But we can’t think of him now, we think only of the players going on the pitch to work and play. We can play well without Didier.’
Maybe so, but certainly not as well without a striker who is arguably in the form of his life and has rattled in four goals in five games already this season. Ricardo Carvalho admitted Drogba will be sorely missed.
‘It’s important to have all the players available but you can’t use it as an excuse,’ said the former Porto defender.
'We have to do the best we can because winning the game is the responsibility of the team.
'He’s important for us but it’s better to miss games now than later in the competition.’
A valid point, but negotiating their way out of a group containing Porto, Atletico Madrid and Apoel FC has not been made any easier without their talismanic striker to call upon for half of the games.
Ancelotti has already set Chelsea the minimum requirement of reaching the final in Madrid — a bold ambition even for a man who has won the competition twice as a player and twice as a manager with AC Milan.
‘The first objective is to arrive at the final,’ revealed Ancelotti.
‘That’s what we want to do. It’s not easy but we have the possibility to do this because we have a very strong team, a very good squad and a fantastic mental attitude.’
The absence of Drogba and Bosingwa, coupled with the fact Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira are not yet fit to play and Deco, Alex and Yuri Zhirkov are injured means young defenders Sam Hutchinson and Jeffrey Bruma, along with Italy Under 19 striker Fabio Borini will be on the bench tonight.
Should things go according to plan against Porto, perhaps the academy prospects will be offered the chance to show Chelsea have a squad strong enough to handle injuries, suspensions and the Gael Kakuta-inspired transfer ban.
But dealing with the loss of Drogba is the first and most difficult challenge.
