Drogba had left Chelsea in 2012 after scoring the winning penalty in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich but returned this summer to bolster Jose Mourinho's striking options.
With Jose Mourinho revealing the in-form Diego Costa could not start due to fitness issues, 36-year-old Drogba was selected in attack ahead of Loic Remy, and his failure to fire was highlighted by several media houses including our very own Thegoalmac,do you agree with their views?
Continue to see what they had to say...
Matt Hughes, writing in The Times, said: "Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, the goalscorer, and most crucially Didier Drogba all missed straightforward chances as Chelsea's biggest weakness in last season's competition returned to haunt them -- profligacy in front of goal.
"Much of this can be attributed to the absence of Diego Costa, who Mourinho revealed afterwards is incapable of playing three games in a week because of his hamstring problem, and a fitful performance from Drogba on his first start since returning to the club in the summer.
"His Second Coming at Stamford Bridge could still turn out to be a wonderful fairytale, but this was an inauspicious start as his performance reflected the reality rather than the legend, that of a 36-year-old starting his first match since June."
Thegoalmac's View: Drogba is a Chelsea legend no doubt about it,but it's almost time for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea fans to Move on,he is 36 years old not 26 years old, Loic Remy should play more if Diego Costa is'nt fit to play.
In The Sun, Rob Beasley described the Ivorian as "one of the main culprits as the Blues squandered a host of opportunities."
He added that Chelsea's "perfect start petered out in alarming fashion as Mourinho's men kicked off their Group G campaign with Drogba up top and Costa on the bench. It was not pretty viewing from the sidelines. Not for the manager, the subs, or the fans."
Martin Lipton also suggested in the Daily Mirror that Drogba's time may have passed.
"Lesson One, for the 'Special One': there's no place for sentiment in football," he wrote. "As Mourinho knows, more than anyone, making a false start in the quest for the ultimate European glory is not necessarily fatal.
"Both in 2003, when he was at Porto, and six years later with Inter, opening group phase draws were followed by sheer delight eight months later. But if Chelsea are to be running round Berlin's Olympic Stadium in triumph in May, if their fans will be congregating in front of the Brandenburg Gate, they will need to be watching Diego Costa, not Didier Drogba.
"Last night, as Mourinho handed a first Chelsea start since Munich to Drogba, leaving both Costa and Loic Remy on the bench until it became desperation time, the price was paid."
No comments:
Post a Comment