Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has launched a stinging attack on the Blues’ owner Todd Boehly’s management, claiming that the club has become ‘unrecognisable’ in the last year. Drogba scored 164 goals for the club and led the them to probably the finest moment in their 118-year history when they won their maiden Champions League in 2012.
Drogba’s former teammate Frank Lampard has returned as the club’s caretaker manager, however he has lost all four games in charge so far. The team suffered a two-goal defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, completing a four-goal aggregate victory for the Spanish and European champions, who seldom had to shift out of first gear throughout the two legs.
Drogba calls out Boehly for ‘unintelligent’ approach since Chelsea takeover
Lampard, the club’s third manager of the season under the Boehly ear, after Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, also oversaw Premier League losses to Wolves and Brighton on top of the double defeats against the Los Blancos. The Blues are now in the bottom half of the league standings after a poor run of form.
Former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba was critical of the club during the Canal Plus show Champions Club, which covered Tuesday’s match. The Ivorian spoke out against club owner Boehly, who led a consortium that bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich last year. Drogba told Canal+:
“I don’t recognise my club. It’s no longer the same club. There is a new owner and a new vision. Of course, we try to compare it with what happened during the (Roman) Abramovich era where a lot of players were brought in, but the decisions were very intelligent.
“Bringing in players like Petr Cech, Andriy Shevchenko, Herman Crespo, Micheal Essien, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, and I go on. It was done to win titles. They are players with a certain experience. The strategy is now different; we bet on young players. But a dressing room of over 30 players is difficult [to manage] for a manager.
“They lack charismatic leaders. You need players that take on the game, that assume their responsibilities. You need a player that brings a bit of madness to the stadium.”
It’s not the first time Chelsea have lost four games in a row in all competitions since it happened in November 1993. However, no manager has ever had a worse start at the club than Lampard. Their defeat at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night assured they would complete the season without a trophy, with Lampard’s remaining time in charge now limited to Premier League games as they attempt to stem the rot of defeats and climb the standings.
Lampard’s personal campaign has been ruined by the pattern of results. The former England international footballer was fired as Everton manager earlier this season, leaving the club at the bottom of the Premier League table. Everton have now hired Sean Dyche and have climbed out of the relegation zone on goal difference, but Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for any European competition next season appear to be fading away as a result of their dismal form.