The banners bearing the names of the Chelsea greats on the Stamford Bridge stands are starting to look a bit faded and worn round the edges. Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba will always be legends in this part of West London but this club is not what it once was.
Drogba himself said as much in the preamble to a night that saw the modern Chelsea’s ambitions of a great Champions League comeback fall on the back of a familiar shortcoming. An awful lot of effort and absolutely no goals.
Drogba, the great Ivorian striker who scored so many times for Chelsea, said on French TV that he no longer recognised the club.