Author – Amrit Santlan
Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba has heavily criticized Chelsea owner Todd Boehly for a ‘lackluster’ approach since taking over in London from Roman Abramovich. The Premier League giants were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League 4-0 on aggregate by Real Madrid and, with the club occupying 11th place in the league, there is little more than pride to play for this season.
Chelsea’s legendary striker Drogba has criticized Boehly for his decision making as the club continues to fall further and further down the table. Two coaches, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, were sacked by Boehly, while interim coach Frank Lampard has yet to win a single match since returning to the club.
Drogba feels that the approach to signing young players has backfired and resulted in a bloated squad that would be difficult for any player to manage.
“I don’t recognize my club,” said Drogba in an interview with Canal+. The iconic striker continued: “It’s not the same club anymore. There is a new owner and a new vision. Of course, we try to compare it with what happened during the Abramovich era, where many players were signed, but the decisions were very intelligent.“
“Bringing in players like Petr Cech, Andriy Shevchenko, Herman Crespo, Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and I keep going. Chelsea is built to win titles. They are players with a certain amount of experience. The strategy now is different: to bet on young players. But a dressing room with more than 30 players is difficult for a coach” added Drogba.
With defeats to Aston Villa, Wolves and Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, alongside the heartbreak of two legs against Real Madrid, Chelsea last won a game against Leicester City at the beginning of March. With 39 points from 31 games, reaching European soccer of any kind seems an achievable but impossible task given their recent form.
Lampard hopes to end his losing streak as interim manager when the club hosts Brentford at Stamford Bridge on April 27.