Mata: Torres is not the same as warrior Drogba was for Chelsea

Juan Mata says that Chelsea forward Fernando Torres is finding it hard to fill the void left by Didier Drogba, but still thinks that he is one of the world's best strikers.




The Ivorian, who netted the winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final last season, moved to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua in the summer leaving the ex-Liverpool man as the Blues' main striker.

Mata has revealed that Drogba's departure hit the players hard, and has forced them to change their style of play for the "different" Torres.

“Drogba’s departure was like an electric shock for us," the 24-year-old told French magazineSo Foot. "He was a warrior.

“We’ve had to learn to cope without him because for many long years he was Chelsea’s lightning conductor.

“With Drogba we were conditioned to play in a certain way. You gave him the ball and you knew that he would at least force the opponent into a foul.

“In a way we had a tendency to rely on him too much but it was a natural mechanism. All the great players like getting the ball, Didier even more so.

“With Fernando it’s different. His runs aren’t the same. He’s not a funnel for our play like Drogba could be. He doesn’t like the holding-it-up role. He prefers finding space and facing the goal.”




Signed from Liverpool for £50 million, on the January transfer deadline day in 2011, Torres is the west London outfit's most expensive player.

His Spain team-mate suggested that the huge pressure that came with the record transfer could have contributed to Torres' downfall, while insisting he is still among the finest attackers on the globe.

He added: “When someone pays that much for you and you become the most expensive player in the Premier League, you are eager to please. Too eager, maybe.

“Especially Fernando, because he’s a very humble guy who knows where he comes from and understands the value of money.

“For me, he is still one of the best strikers in the world.”

Hazard: It was sad when Chelsea sacked Di Matteo, but that's football

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has stated that he was sad to see Roberto Di Matteo leave the club but says it is a natural thing in football, and he and his team-mates must move on.


The Italian manager won the FA Cup and Champions League double last season, but was sacked following a poor run of form that culminated in a 3-0 loss to Juventus.


Hazard says it is never easy to see a boss go, especially when that manager brought him to the club, but added that they must focus on getting on with their jobs.




"Look, I knew before I came here where I was 'putting my feet' and the sort of club I was coming to," Hazard told the Independent. "I knew that Chelsea was a club that changed its manager reasonably often.




"Obviously I didn't intend it to be that quick because Di Matteo was the person who signed me and I was looking forward to a relationship and working with him for some time. But I don't have any regrets.




"We have a new manager now and again it is about stressing we must try to get as high as we can up the table, go as far as we can in the cups, play well and win as many trophies as we can.




"I think it's the first time it has happened to me in my career when a manager has gone. It's never easy. It's something that is part of football life. We have to put our disappointment to one side. Although I was sorry because he was the manager who signed me.




"Again it goes back to it being part of the football life. It is natural. You question yourself all the time as a footballer. You have to focus on the positives. It's the manager who picks the side but it is the players who are out on the field, so in a way he depends on us a little bit.




"You think 'Oh if that chance had gone in, or if I had not scuffed that shot, he might have still been in a job'. So you do feel that responsibility but you have to check yourself and say 'This is football'. And it is a case of starting from zero and getting on with things."

Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez writes open letter to Premier League club's suppporters

Benitez has endured a testing baptism to his time in the Blues hot-seat and has been jeered by some supporters unhappy with his appointment in the wake of Roberto Di Matteo's sacking.


The former Liverpool boss saw his new charges claim their first Premier League win under his tenure at the fourth attempt against Sunderland on Saturday just days after their Champions League defence was brought to a shuddering halt at the group stage.


The Spaniard has highlighted the relentless schedule of matches since his appointment, with the Sunderland game their fifth in a fortnight, and was keen to pay tribute to the Chelsea fans who have been in touch to offer their support.


Benitez told his personal website: "From the moment I accepted the offer to join Chelsea, my team and I have worked towards improving the results and getting the wins that we all want - no matter what hours we have to put in and the effort and sacrifice in order to achieve this.

"As you can imagine from what you may have seen, we have been immersed in the tasks ahead and since the change in my work situation it has been a cycle of training and matches with virtually no time to do anything else.

"My official presentation as Chelsea manger took place on Thursday November 21 and I came straight from Abu Dhabi where I was giving a lecture. We literally walked straight off the plane into running my first training session in Cobham. After two sessions we faced my first match in charge against Manchester City and then just a further two sessions before facing Fulham in a local derby.

"Two massive league commitments in just three days. We had a couple of conditioning workouts with referrals and then another London derby against West Ham United. We rested on Sunday and then the same timetable again, Nordsjaelland and then Sunderland.

"The team's win against the Danish side (6-1) was the biggest home win of the season for Chelsea but was not enough for us to progress in the competition. The results of previous matches of the group stage and the results that occurred on the night in other games left us without options. We would have liked to be able to offer our fans another ending to this story, to offer our fans another Champions League win but we now look forward to the Europa League.

"We are now challenged with the Club World Championship in Japan and it will not be easy - I tell you this from the experience of two previous participations with differing results. This team is willing to give everything to try and return with a new title to bring home to the fans.

"But let's get back to why I am writing this letter and the basic purpose of trying to give a full account of my new situation and feelings before I seize this exciting new challenge of coaching at Chelsea FC. It is on that basis of the challenge I accepted the offer that was made. With the same faith, the same honesty, with the same loyalty and dedication I put into each of my previous projects.

"That said, thank you all for your support, to those who have sent messages, emails, letters... To those who have called, who have tried to contact by any means possible... To all, I sincerely thank you for your support. We're going to Japan right now to fight for the FIFA Club World Cup spurred on with all of your support."