SoccerNet Live

There are no easy matches in the Champions League but once in a while, we come up with oddballs who are determined to discredit the claim - as in the case of Rosenborg.

After thrashing Rosenborg 4-0 away for their sixth straight win, Chelsea are safely through to the knock out stage. They are top of Group B with 11 points and one game in hand. Rosenborg came in second with seven, Schalke 04 with five and Valencia last on four points.

The Norwegians did not expect the shit to hit the fan in this manner, after all their previous encounter at Stamford Bridge was a respectable 1-1 draw. If readers remember, that was also the final straw in a poor run of results that ended Jose Mourinho’s reign.

Boosted by back-to-back victories over Valencia, Rosenborg may have taken this return match lightly since Chelsea have to weather plunging temperatures, hostile fans and Avram Grant is now in charge, somebody of lesser stature than the Special One.

Indeed, the home fans packed the 21,600-seat stadium and were vociferous and intimidating enough. In freezing cold conditions, the announcement of Chelsea’s squad list and formation must be music to the ears of Rosenborg. It should be a none too adventurous approach - Drogba was played as the lone striker.

However, the host were in for a shock as Chelsea began the match in regal fashion and placed them on their back pedal right to the last minute. “King Drogba” as he is known in his homeland, was sizzling and when he is in such lethal form, Rosenborg’s “tactics” for containing him became nothing but a mockery.

The Ivory Coast player, playing his first match since recovering from a knee injury, scored twice from close range in the first 20 minutes after excellent assists by Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips through a porous Rosenborg defence. Alex added a third near the end of the first half with a powerful free kick from distance before Cole completed the rout in the 73rd minute.

Chelsea could have easily added to their total with a short-range effort from Wright-Phillips, which hit the post. Substitutes Andriy Shevchenko and Salomon Kalou also missed scoring chances late in the match.

Rosenborg need to avoid defeat when they travel to Schalke on December 11 to reach the last 16. Rosenborg coach Trond Henriksen said: “We lost all the passes that we got in Valencia. We had too much respect for Drogba but he is a good player, and tough to stop physically.”

While playing entertaining football under Grant, Chelsea have scored 30 goals in winning ten and losing only one of his 14 matches in charge (at Old Trafford, so that is not too humiliating). Credible performances to steady the ship but Chelsea is nowhere near the pinnacle yet.

Greater challenges await, but Grant is confident enough to suggest that he could give Roman Abramovich a dream Champions League final in Moscow in May. He said: “We are a big club. We want to go to finals and we hope to do it this year. We play happy football, better from game to game and we will continue this process.”

Given Drogba’s disappointment over the departure of his mentor and aversion to Grant’s appointment, I have to salute his professionalism to be firing on all cylinders after recovering from his injury to strengthen the team.

Drogba has toted up 21 goals in 38 appearances in the Champions League. Incidentally, he also scored the match-winning goal against Valencia last month that convinced many doubters of Grant’s credentials, so if Chelsea have ambitions of clinching the crown, he will have to feature prominently in their plans.

In this match, the importance of Drogba was further highlighted when he was replaced by the leaden Andrei Shevchenko and the team came down a notch or two in the attacking prowess. His absence in January for the African Cup of Nations will be crucial but that is something which Chelsea has to contend with since nobody commands enough presence to stop him from serving his national duty.

Instead of courting the Shevchenkos, Ballacks and Ronaldinhos around the world, Chelsea should do their utmost to retain Drogba. Drogba is not a man easily swayed by riches, so it doesn’t matter if Abramovich has money to burn, it is important to show that he is a valued member and if he stays around for a few more seasons, the efforts to keep him will be highly rewarding.