The Aston Villa match was probably the best evidence of how important Lampard and Drogba are to us. Our attacks had no teeth. We hardly threatened them. Sure we saw lot of the ball but all the while we were looking attack without looking to score, if you know what I mean. There was no urgency in our play. Probably our objective was ‘not to lose’ than ‘to win’. Or they all tried their best and this is what they could produce at Villa park without Lampard and Drogba. It looked to me like we were playing a dead rubber in the champions league group stage.

Actually, to get a draw at Villa park is not such a bad result, considering the yet another slip-up by Man Utd. Talking of Man Utd, I don’t know if it’s prudent to keep checking the gap between us and them. Man Utd may not be the runner-up after all. Should we add Man Utd to the ‘harmless rivals’ list which already comprises of Liverpool and Arsenal? I’m not saying this just because they are drawing every other match. The Rooney story seems to be rocking the Manure boat this season. Make no mistake, it’s no small thing.

Wayne Rooney is a top top player. It’s a major blow for any team if a player of Rooney’s calibre is leaving. I’d say that Rooney’s leaving would have a bigger impact on Man Utd than Ronaldo’s exit. Top teams need their talismanic players. Chelsea has too many – Terry, Lampard, Drogba, Essien etc. Man Utd had Ronaldo, Rooney and Ferdinand. These are players that are too crucial for the success of the team and also the glue that hold the team together. They are their rays of hope. When Ronaldo left, Man Utd still had Rooney who became the new symbol of Man Utd, the player that the team can depend on. When Rooney leaves, there is a massive gap to be filled by Fergie and given their financial situation, he will find very tough to find a replacement for Rooney, not from his position point of view but from a stature point of view.

BBC has written a full article on what’s next for Rooney. It’s an interesting read. There are various views around why he would and wouldn’t choose certain clubs. Apparently, there is a reference to Chelsea as well. I doubt Rooney would want to move to Chelsea. If he wants success and trophies and peace of mind, he might want to come to Chelsea. If he wants more money and wants to piss of Man Utd and Fergie, he can go to Man City. I don’t see him leaving England. Real Madrid can move quickly and swap Rooney for Benzema. If they do that, they could begin an era of dominance in Spain and Europe. Real Madrid are already showing that they are a much improved unit under Jose Mourinho.

Would I want Cheslea to move for Rooney? Hell, yes! Both our strikers are past 30. Here is a top striker, a proven success in premier league, at 25 with his best is still ahead of him. Would Chelsea move for Rooney? I doubt because Man City would certainly start bidding for Rooney as getting him will help Man City in many ways (Dear Wayne! Welcome to Manchester). And Chelsea would not get into a bidding war with Man City. I’m 200% sure about that. In any case, a move in January is for sure as he could go for nothing to peanuts after that. Fergie might as well cash in on him as soon as possible. As a football fan, I’m very curious on Rooney’s next move. Let’s wait and see.

Okay, let’s get back to Chelsea. The downside of being in Singapore is the timing of the champions league matches. I’ve mentioned this a million times so far but it’s just so annoying for me that I’m not able to watch these matches. I know yesterday was an early kick off as it was in Russia. I still couldn’t watch it as I had to be in office quite early today.

That goal from Yuri Zhirkov! What a strike! This is not just another long ranger. The attack was a swift move and ball was not still and in comes Yuri like a train and smashes it on a volley. Great strike. I’ve seen it about 20 times and I still don’t get tired of it. I love this element of romance in football – in Moscow, it had to be Yuri Zhirkov! After the dreadful night at Moscow couple of seasons back, we had to win to exorcise some of those memories. I’d be lying if I said that night can be forgotten. We can win another 100 matches at Moscow but that hurt would remain. Anyway, the best we could do yesterday was to win and that’s what we did.

Wolves at the Bridge next weekend. Interesting match up on Sunday as Man City host Arsenal. Draw is the only result I would ask for. Okay then, I’m back to my Winning Eleven session. Catch you later.