When Jose Mourinho Claimed Chelsea Would Struggle to Replicate Their Success Without Didier Drogba

• Jose Mourinho managed Didier Drogba for a period of time while they were both at Chelsea
• The Special One believed that The Blues would not be able to replace a player like Drogba
• Chelsea have not reached the same level of domination that they achieved with Drogba

Jose Mourinho knows talent when he sees it.

The Portuguese coach has worked with many big-name stars during his time as a manager, helping guide them to great things.

The Special One also knows when a player will leave a legacy behind at a club that will be hard to replicate, as was the case with his former side, Chelsea and Didier Drogba.

The Ivory Coast international enjoyed a successful eight-year spell at the side between 2004 and 2007 before returning to the side in the 2014/15 season.

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As noted by Transfermarkt, he won the Champions League once with The Blues while also leading them to four Premier League titles.

Mourinho praises Drogba’s impact

When the former two-time African Player of the Year left Chelsea in 2012, Mourinho voiced concerns that they would not be able to replace him.

"I believe Drogba is the big difference for them. I don't think you can replace him. You can buy top players and invest like Chelsea did, but there is only one Drogba, in the Premiership and Chelsea's history,” he said.

Mourinho made the comments in 2012 when he was Real Madrid boss, and a video clip of it has resurfaced as Mauricio Pochettino’s side struggles for form.

Chelsea are currently in 11th place on the table, having lost eight games out of 18 this season.

Chelsea’s trophy haul without Drogba

Since Drogba left the club the second time around, Chelsea have not done too poorly but have struggled to find that talisman striker to lead the line.

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The Blues won the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and Premier League all once after his departure but have not dominated consecutive seasons as they did with him in the squad.

Mourinho downplays comparisons between Osimhen and Drogba

Jose Mourinho is not a fan of comparison among players and proved that once again by declining comments that would have made him compare Victor Osimhen to Didier Drogba.

The AS Roma boss made the statement ahead of his side's clash against Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico, a match that Osimhen was scheduled to feature in.

Mourinho was talking about Osimhen's qualities when a reporter asked him if the Nigerian was better than Drogba, Sports Brief previously reported.