The Big Drog

I dont rate him highly at all, very good going forward but very suspect defensively which is one of the reasons he has failed to nail down the Italian right back spot.

I'd also like to see us bring in a central midfielder in the mould of a Luka Modric but wingers have to be the priority, that is where we are weakest, I wouldn't mind a right back either. In any case, maybe Kevin De Bruyne could become the creative midfielder we are looking for.

Abate is like a slightly upgraded Bosingwa. Faster, bit better delivery but every bit as prone to lapses in concentration as Bosingwa.

Personally I'd be amazed if he didn't join Man Utd. Give me Mata in the number 10 role over Hazard any day of the week.

The Luiz/Cahill partnership has potential but both consistently look better when playing alongside Terry. It's easy to look simply at the negatives, look at some of the positives. His displays in the second leg against Napoli and the first leg against Barcelona were nothing short of heroic. While there will come a time for Terry to play a smaller role this isn't that time. He is still a world class centre back, a vital part of the team and the true leader in the squad.

I'm looking forward to De Bruyne arriving at Chelsea and I really hope he gets a chance because he could be a solution to the problem of a lack of creativity in midfield. However to rank him above Kroos is ridiculous. As good as De Bruyne might be he has done nothing yet to warrant comparison with Kroos, one of the finest young players on the planet. The young German is nothing short of phenomenal.

Hopefully this will mean that Kakuta is finally given a chance.

Lets give Torres his chance. Realistically he was never going to take Drogba's place as the main man while Didier was still at the club, nobody could have taken Didier's place at Chelsea. Now with Drogba gone the path is clear for Torres. Give him his chance, he will have the confidence of knowing he is the main man, that he will be the one playing in the big games now. Is it a risk? Yes, but so is spending 30 million+ on another striker who might struggle every bit as much as Torres and thus further demoralize Torres. Lets see how he does, his form did pick up towards the end of the season, with the addition of 1 or 2 more creative players I think he will really hit his stride and if Didier says he is the future then that's good enough for me.

This isn't That Chinese Dong player that Man Utd signed purely for marketing. This is one of the finest talents in the best league in the world who was the driving force behind his team lifting a league and cup double, he is no joke or marketing ploy, Kagawa is for real.

Well that's it, this is the end of an era at Chelsea, the greatest era in the club's history, the Didier Drogba era ends in, what will be known as, the Didier Drogba Champions League final of 2012. Didier is my all time favourite player, a hero and icon to me just like he is to do many others. I'd love to do a full piece on what Drogba has meant to me on the club but I'm just too upset to do it justice right now.

Seems like he is almost certainly on his way to Man Utd, shame I am a fan of his, I think he would have been a terrific addition to our side.

TBF Drogba entered a superhuman performance against Valencia when we desperately needed it. Drogba entered a powerhouse performance against Napoli in the second leg when we desperately needed it. Drogba entered a stunning performance against Barcelona in the first leg when we desperately needed it. Drogba entered a cracking performance in the second leg against Barcelona when we desperately needed it. Drogba entered a heroic display against Bayern Munich when we desperately needed it. In the big games, Drogba has stepped up to the mark. Undoubtedly he has been Chelsea's main man on the pitch in this run to the Champions League. That being said of course every player played a part, Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz, Cahill, Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Mata, Ramires and Kalou all entered excellent displays at various stages and should be given huge amounts of credit. So too should Di Matteo, to go from where we were in the first leg against Napoli under AVB to where Di Matteo brought us is miraculous and he deserves every bit of praise that comes his way.

Much like Mourinho he would warrant that kind of control over the direction of the youth team, transfers and whatever else he wants. No manager guarantees success but cream rises to the top and Pep is one of the most influential football managers of the last 20 years and the most successful in Barcelona's history.

Given that we are chasing Hazard, have signed Marin and De Bruyne and already have Mata and Torres I'd say a change of style is inevitable. If Di Matteo were to not get the job then I'd rather it be Guardiola over anyone else to implement that change of style.

I hope Di Matteo gets the job full time too but really, Pep Guardiola is your worst fear? 2 time Champions League winning coach and football revolutionary. I think there are worse scenarios than Pep Guardiola as manager.

I agree that he hasn't gotten the admiration he deserves, very important player over the course of the CL campaign. Less instrumental against barca and Munich but that was down to our approach and his ball retention and clever use of the ball last night were essential. Wonderful debut season at Chelsea, key player in both FA Cup and Champions League victories, the only player of his kind in the squad, he has been a joy to watch this season, I look forward to many more years of watching the mercurial spaniard in a blue jersey.

Worst.

Lampards comment made me laugh out loud, nothing arrogant about it, witty line is all.

In one way I sympathize with Torres, he is a household name who we signed for a British transfer record sum of 50 million pound, he was expected to slot into the Chelsea team and replace Drogba and everything would be great. We all know that that isn't how it worked out, for a number of reasons. His own fitness, his loss of the explosive pace he had previously, his difficulty in fitting into a rigid Chelsea system and the heavy competition from Drogba (all of which led to him losing confidence) meant that he became a source of ridicule worldwide, it must have been really difficult for him. That being said, his form has improved in the last couple of months, he has regained some of the confidence that was lost, he looks sharper and he looks quicker than he did in his early Chelsea days. That being said, nobody expected him to start ahead of Drogba last night, I doubt he expected to start ahead of Drogba, in a way I suppose that must be a blow to him, to go from being considered one of the greatest strikers in the world to now not even being a serious threat to the 34 year old Ivorian's place. He might have expected to start alongside Drogba or on the right wing but given that our mission was to contain, that was never going to happen from the start. What does the future hold? Drogba wont be here forever, he cant start week in week out, if Torres hangs around (and assuming we dont sign a world class striker) then he will probably be first choice for much of the domestic campaign next season. However if Drogba sticks around then what happens next season if we get into a Champions League final again (touch wood), does the manager choose a Torres who has been playing every week or does he pick the ultimate big-game performer in Drogba? Torres is in the prime years of his career, he wants to be the main man in these big showpiece games, playing second fiddle has never been part of the plan for Fernando and that is why I think these talks between Torres and the club are a good idea because I think it is important that he gets clarification of his role next season. Personally Id love him to stay, I think he is still an excellent player who, in the right system, could be an ideal replacement for Drogba (big ask) but if he is told that Drogba will still be the main man on the big occasion or that we will be in the market for a top quality striker then it probably would be better for him to leave.

Terrific to see. Full credit to the club who allowed Chelsea TV to be broadcast on freeview today. The support was overwhelming, all of the players seemed in good spirits. The "Didier Drogba we want you to stay" and the "one Di Matteo" chants made me smile as did the sight of Roman Abramovich at the front of the bus, anyone who says he has lost love for Chelsea take a look at him last night, take a look at him today, the club is eternally grateful to him. Wonderful day, very proud to be a Chelsea fan.

The malaria took a lot out of him, as he himself has said in interviews, it was a difficult time for him and it seemed that the illness along with age had finally caught up to the great man. He cant play week in week out, we know that but I always said that, on the big occasion there is still no striker better than Didier Drogba. Even at 34 years of age, he is, and always has been, Chelsea's truly great player, the main man.

The best 24 million pounds ever spent, close to 9 years of sheer brilliance.

Yes he probably isn't good enough to be a regular starter for us. However, lets give him credit here. He has been an important player in our Champions League campaign since Roberto Di Matteo took over. He works extremely hard, he always performs his defensive duties and I thought he was a decent outlet on the ball yesterday, had a couple of good dribbles to relieve the pressure on the backline. No he isn't Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi but he is a lad with a good attitude and a real work ethic and he will go down in history as one of the starting 11 players that brought our club our first Champions league success.

A key player in a Champions League final victory, never again can his quality be called into question. Excellent last night and a killer penalty too.

I'm assuming sky sports news will show coverage of it?