The Times
Didier Drogba has calming touch for edgy ChelseaChelsea 1 Juventus 0
Oliver Kay
The two men on the touchline barely exchanged a glance, two men bound by nothing more than a common mistress. It always seems to end in tears for a manager who engages with Roman Abramovich, but Guus Hiddink is quickly building the impression of a man who can control and perhaps ultimately tame the Chelsea beast, having insisted that their short-term relationship will be on his own terms.
Claudio Ranieri, who now seems like a distant predecessor, will have other ideas, feeling that Juventus can overturn a slender deficit when his former club travel to Turin for the second leg of the Champions League first knockout round tie on March 10. But for now, after victories by a single goal in his first two games in charge, Chelsea under Hiddink no longer seem like the soft touch they were becoming.
These are still early days and their lead over Juventus, courtesy of Didier Drogba’s twelfth-minute goal, is fragile, but if Hiddink’s brief is simply to stabilise Chelsea and to make them competitive between now and May, the progress over the past fortnight is encouraging.
The quality of Chelsea’s performance should not be overstated — they peaked in the first 20 minutes and had badly run out of steam by the end, looking susceptible to what would have been a damaging away goal — but Hiddink has already done the difficult part, injecting some vigour and self-belief into a squad who looked crestfallen in the dark final weeks of the ill-fated Luiz Felipe Scolari regime.
Petr Cech looks assured once more, John Terry and Frank Lampard are leading by example and, most encouragingly of all, Drogba looks like a centre forward who wants to play football, having spent too long feeling sorry for himself since José Mourinho left Stamford Bridge in September 2007.
It will take something a little more sustained before Drogba can start proclaiming that he is back to the form of the 2006-07 campaign, when at times he was unplayable, but this was much more like it. From the very start he was up for it and, having done the hard work for Nicolas Anelka at Villa Park on Saturday, this time he was quick to claim his reward, running on to a delightful reverse pass from Salomon Kalou, moving in for the kill and bouncing a shot past Gianluigi Buffon to spark heady celebrations among his team-mates, Michael Ballack being the first to join him.
For the next ten minutes or so, it seemed that this could be a special night at Stamford Bridge, with the feel-good factor of Hiddink’s nascent reign blowing away the sense of nostalgia that accompanied Ranieri’s return.
Chelsea performed impressively in the opening quarter of the game, with Drogba unfortunate not to score a second goal when he sent a header wide from Lampard’s inswinging corner, but Juventus, showing far more spirit and a little more quality than either Roma or Inter Milan produced in the Anglo-Italian encounters on Tuesday, slowly established some kind of foothold. Tiago, another Chelsea old boy, and Mohamed Sissoko, once of Liverpool, were doing their best to assert themselves against the home team’s midfield trio of Ballack, Lampard and John Obi Mikel.
Midway through the first half, Tiago, an underrated member of Mourinho’s first title-winning Chelsea squad in 2005, slipped a clever pass behind the home defence to set up Alessandro Del Piero, but the striker’s shot was well saved by Cech, diving to his right.
Juventus were not out of it by any means, but at that stage they had the look of a well-organised side in the top eight of the Barclays Premier League rather than a team befitting one of the proudest clubs in Europe. That much was reflected by some of the names in their squad — Olof Mellberg at right back, Sissoko and Tiago in midfield and Alex Manninger, the former Arsenal goalkeeper, on the substitutes’ bench, all of them rejected or passed over by some of English football’s elite.
A rasping shot by Anelka apart, the second half belonged — or at least should have belonged — to Juventus, who came back into the game around the hour mark. Despite losing Mauro Camoranesi and Tiago to thigh and facial injuries respectively, Ranieri’s team surged forward in search of the away goal they craved, Marco Marchionni, a substitute, sending a shot just over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area.
With Ballack, Kalou and others tiring, Chelsea began to retreat, but while this was a problem in a collective sense, it was encouraging in the case of Drogba, who could be seen filling in on the left wing and even, on one notable occasion, in a deep midfield role when his team-mates were caught out of position in the closing stages.
Hiddink surveyed his options on the substitutes’ bench. They were not appealing, which is one reason why Scolari was often so reluctant to stray beyond plan A. But the Dutchman sent on Florent Malouda in place of Kalou on the right wing and then Michael Mancienne, the England Under-21 defender, to great acclaim in an unfamiliar midfield role in place of Ballack.
It was all hands to the pump in the closing stages and while it did not make for pretty or in any way convincing football, it was pleasing to see Chelsea performing as a team again, battling through potential adversity, with Drogba as eager as anyone to put in a shift.
Stoppage time was tense, with Pavel Nedved cutting inside and sending a fierce shot just wide of Cech’s left-hand post from 25 yards. Ranieri felt that Juventus had merited the away goal that would have changed the complexion of the tie, but Chelsea just about held firm against the nerves that were setting in.
At the end, finally, there was a smile, a handshake and a slap on the back for Hiddink from the Juventus coach, but Ranieri will cling to the hope that his ultimate revenge over Chelsea and Abramovich, that ruthless, unforgiving mistress, is still to come.
Chelsea (4-3-3): P Cech — J Bosingwa, Alex, J Terry, A Cole — M Ballack (sub: M Mancienne, 81min), J O Mikel, F Lampard — S Kalou (sub: F Malouda, 72), D Drogba, N Anelka. Substitutes not used: Hilário, B Ivanovic, P Ferreira, M Stoch, F Di Santo. Booked: Ballack.
Juventus (4-4-2): G Buffon — O Mellberg, N Legrottaglie, G Chiellini, C Molinaro — M Camoranesi (sub: M Marchionni, 52), M Sissoko (sub: D Trezeguet, 86), Tiago (sub: C Marchisio, 62), P Nedved — A Del Piero, Amauri. Substitutes not used: A Manninger, Z Grygera, C Poulsen, V Iaquinta. Booked: Molinaro, Sissoko, Marchisio.
Referee: O Benquerença (Portugal).
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Telegraph :
Didier Drogba repays Guus Hiddink's faithChelsea (1) 1 Juventus (0) 0 By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge
Didier Drogba has gone from training with the kids to frightening the living daylights out of the Old Lady of Juventus, from being frozen out under Luiz Felipe Scolari to giving the returning Claudio Ranieri the heat treatment.
Drogba scored one, but deserved more for his marauding attacking, particularly in the first half largely dominated by Chelsea. Juventus raised their game after the break, and Ranieri's team may believe they can over-turn Chelsea's slender advantage before their passionate support in a fortnight, but there is a resilience to this team reinvigorated by Guus Hiddink.
The Dutchman's arrival has lifted Drogba in particular, and the Ivory Coast international was terrific here, although Nicolas Anelka was slightly subdued in his left-wing role of Hiddink's attacking trident.
Hiddink had wanted good movement from his front three, for Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou to lose their markers, smashing holes in Juventus' defence. If Anelka occasionally looked frustrated on the left, Drogba was in his element through the middle. Clearly in the mood, Drogba could have had a hat-trick in the first 15 minutes, rather than his one expertly-taken finish.
Here was the striker who had been such a barnstorming presence in Chelsea's title sides, who had drawn admiring glances from Europe's leading clubs until losing fitness, form and particularly focus. Rejuvenated by Luiz Felipe Scolari's departure, Drogba exuded heavyweight class against Juventus' middleweight defence.
Chelsea's No 11 began setting his sights early, meeting Jose Bosingwa's cross with a powerful header that flashed wide. He then appealed for a penalty after a gentle push from Cristian Molinaro. Reward for his persistence arrived after 12 minutes, Drogba capping a quickfire attack that tore Juventus to little golden ribbons.
The goal came out of Africa, out of the Ivory Coast to be exact. Kalou made it, moving in from his right-station to collect possession in the centre. Turning cleverly, Kalou delivered a superb reverse-pass through the middle, releasing his compatriot.
These are the situations Drogba loves, the ball slightly in front of him and the keeper left exposed. Drogba's left foot controlled the ball, and his right did the rest, drilling it low past Gianluigi Buffon. It takes something to beat Italy's No 1, a keeper who is considered the main challenger to Spain's Iker Casillas as the world's best, but Drogba managed it with ease.
As Roma and Inter Milan discovered this week, Juventus struggled against the pace of Premier League opponents. Serie A resembles a chess game compared to the ice hockey of English football. David Beckham certainly picked the right European league to return to.
Some of the visitors had the energy levels to live with Chelsea. Amauri ran hard in attack, supporting Alessandro del Piero. Hiddink's team had known they would not have it all their own way in midfield when little Mauro Camoranesi began flying into challenges, flattening Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack in quick succession. With a short pony-tail straight out of St Trinian's, Camoranesi needed only a lacrosse stick to complete a bloodthirsty image.
The Italian international can play as well, making a few busy runs, and soon receiving the compliment of a robust challenge from Frank Lampard which left him smeared across the grass, rubbing his bruised back and hamstring. Camoranesi dragged his battered body back into the fray, although he was to last only a few minutes of the second period.
Inspired by their right-winger and their boisterous supporters, Juventus responded brightly before the interval, finishing the half strongly. A flick from Tiago, a midfielder who should know his way around Chelsea's pitch, found Del Piero, who chugged forward and unleashed a shot that Petr Cech pushed wide. Del Piero, the darling of Juventus, ended the half with a free-kick into Chelsea's wall after Drogba, tracking back over-enthusiastically, had handled.
Some full-force tackles kept going in, and when Alex and Giorgio Chiellini contested a loose ball fiercely enough to burst it, a rare occurrence and not a great moment for the manufacturers. Drogba kept charging around, looking like he was ready to rupture Juventus' defence again. Lampard also went close, testing Buffon with a shot after Michael Ballack had done well to work the ball to the England midfielder. Ballack was certainly not holding back in the tackle, taking out Pavel Nedved.
Chelsea craved a second goal, so Hiddink switched his strikers around, moving Anelka over to the right, removing Kalou and inserting Florent Malouda on the left. Chelsea were still defending stoutly, Nedved bouncing off the rock-like John Obi Mikel and then Alex swatting away Amauri.
As Juventus pushed on in pursuit of an away goal, a wave of anxiety swept through Chelsea fans who responded by raising the volume, seeking to lift their players. Juventus' players sensed an opportunity, and Molinaro asked permission from Ranieri to push up from his left-back berth but his coach waved hi back.
Chelsea reacted, Bosingwa raiding down the right, eluding Molinaro and bringing a block from Chiellini. Hiddink again rang the changes, introducing Michael Mancienne into central midfield, bringing the youngster his European debut.
With seven minutes left, the blue hordes screamed for a penalty when Chiellini appeared to use an arm to knock Drogba off the ball as they ran into the box, stride for stride.
Deep into stoppage time, Juventus almost equalised when Nedved rolled back the years, accelerating forward, flaxen locks flowing behind him and meeting the ball firmly. His shot squirted just wide, bringing sighs of relief around the Bridge and cheers when the final whistle blew moments later.
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Independent:
Drogba strikes but limp Chelsea fail to convince
Chelsea 1 Juventus 0
By Sam Wallace, Football Correspondent
When it falls to Didier Drogba to make the difference for Chelsea in the Champions League, you can tell that not much has changed in Guus Hiddink's brave new world at Stamford Bridge. Still Chelsea await their transformation at the hands of their Dutch coach and, in the meantime, the job of winning the big matches falls to the moody striker with the suspect attitude.
Drogba scored the first-half goal last night that meant Chelsea go to Turin for the second leg on 10 March with an advantage, although it was far more slender than the one they might have hoped for having dominated the beginning of the game. While, in years past, Chelsea might have been expected to flatten a vulnerable opponent, now they seem to drift aimlessly for long periods unable to focus on what once made them such an implacable opponent in Europe.
At the end of the match, as he walked across the pitch in an empty stadium, Roman Abramovich's entourage was swelled by two new celebrity friends: Bono and the Edge off-duty from U2 and finally hanging out with someone who has more money than them. Abramovich might have acquired a new manager but as far as a Chelsea team that might win the Champions League, the Russian – as Bono himself would no doubt say – still hasn't found what he is looking for.
In the first 15 minutes Chelsea threatened to do some serious damage to the reputation of a once-great European club. Juventus, with their mixture of Premier League rejects and golden-oldies, should have been easy pickings for a Chelsea team that once thrived on muscular performances at home and a relentless bombardment of their opposition. Yet by the end of the game Chelsea were hanging on and the best player on the pitch was a 36-year-old – that's older than Ryan Giggs.
Pavel Nedved was the driving force in getting Juventus to the 2003 Champions League final although he had to sit out the game itself, a match played at Old Trafford at which – according to the official Abramovich history – the Russian oligarch fell in love with football. In 2003, Nedved, then the European footballer of the year, was exactly the kind of player Abramovich would have tried to buy. After last night he might try again.
Having established their lead early on Chelsea could not build on it. In midfield the pairing of Tiago Mendes and Momo Sissoko – never more than short-term solutions when they played at Chelsea and Liverpool – held their own against Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard. Nicolas Anelka found himself switched from the left to the right. Whatever winning formula Hiddink is edging towards it will have to be better than this.
Considering Abramovich has invested £679.6m in Chelsea over six years he should have a squad much stronger than that of Juventus who, during the chaos of their Moggi-gate scandal demotion to Serie B, have barely been able to renew their ageing players. The likes of Alessandro Del Piero (34 years old), Mauro Camoranesi (32), Nedved (36) and Nicola Legrottaglie (32) are still integral. At 31, Olof Mellberg and Gianluigi Buffon are relative youngsters. Yet Juventus gave Chelsea a run for their money.
Claudio Ranieri was given a much warmer reception when he was introduced to the Chelsea crowd than Hiddink and the Italian manager will take some credit for his team's second half performance. Juventus were better organised than the Chelsea side he managed in his last Champions League game at this club in that infamous semi-final against Monaco.
Drogba had already headed one chance wide when he scored on 12 minutes. His goal, only his fourth this season, was beautifully worked by Salomon Kalou. Ballack won the ball out on the right and Kalou, 30 yards from goal, played an instinctive ball through the Juventus' back four. It was an ideal pass for Lampard or Drogba and the England man, in a rare show of generosity in front of goal, allowed Drogba to take it on and score.
From that point on it looked like it should be simple for Chelsea but they could not keep up the fluency of their game. While Manchester United continued attacking Internazionale right up until the final whistle on Tuesday, never allowing the opposition off the hook, Chelsea failed to get a grip. John Obi Mikel allowed Del Piero to run off him and force a save out of Petr Cech. Camoranesi missed a chance at the back post. As Ballack, Kalou and Anelka drifted out of the game in the second half it was hard not to return to Luiz Felipe Scolari's theory that Chelsea desperately lack someone exciting. A player, like Arjen Robben and Damien Duff, who were once capable of injecting something unpredictable and magical into a game. Kalou was the only recognised winger in the first XI and when Florent Malouda came on he seemed unwilling to take on the full-back which rather defeats the object for a man in his position.
Seizing the reprieve, Juventus came back into the game. Cech flapped after a cross that he could not grasp just before the hour. Ballack committed a dreadful foul, catching Nedved around the knees, and in the last 15 minutes it was Juventus who pressed forward, the striker Amauri looking dangerous for the first time. The last action was a shot from Nedved that flew just inches wide of the post. As Hiddink is doubtless aware, the Chelsea conundrum will take more than re-arranging the existing personnel on the pitch. This is the weakest team with which they have tried to win this competition in the last four years and it would be remarkable if they were to be successful this season. Before that they have to get past Juventus.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, A Cole; Lampard, Mikel, Ballack (Mancienne, 81); Kalou (Malouda, 72), Drogba, Anelka. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Ivanovic, Ferreira, Di Santo, Stoch.
Juventus (4-4-2): Buffon; Mellberg, Chiellini, Legrottaglie, Molinaro; Camoranesi (Marchionni, 51), Sissoko (Trezeguet, 86), Tiago (Marchisio, 62), Nedved; Del Piero, Amauri. Substitutes not used: Manninger (gk), Grygera, Poulsen, Iaquinta.
Referee: O Benquerenca (Portugal).
10
Didier Drogba's opening goal last night was his first for Chelsea in his last 10 matches.
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Observer:
Drogba delivers as Chelsea display resistance of old Champions Lge KO Rnd 1, Leg 1
Chelsea 1 Drogba 12 Juventus 0
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge
A 1–0 win will make Stamford Bridge misty-eyed with reminiscences of the hardiness shown in days gone by, but this was no grinding success. Chelsea are fairly well-placed to reach the Champions League quarter-finals because they both attacked with verve, particularly at Didier Drogba's splendid goal, and resisted efficiently to see out the victory in the closing 20 minutes.
Juventus, all the same, cannot be discounted in the tie because there was endeavour and menace from them here with Pavel Nedved narrowly failing to equalise when he let fly in stoppage time. Recognition of the fact that this victory was hard-earned will be valuable to footballers seeking to re-establish themselves.
There is a perception that Chelsea are an old team. This is much exaggerated and here they began the match with three players in their thirties while Juventus had half a dozen. The real mission for Guus Hiddink is to purge the staleness that has gradually taken hold of the team since the departure of Jose Mourinho. The problem is more psychological than physical and it is being addressed vigorously.
The sheer beauty of the Nicolas Anelka goal that defeated Aston Villa, with its origins in Frank Lampard's marvellous footwork, was certainly heartening. The mood of the volatile Drogba has also improved remarkably. The Ivorian had been so eager to deny there is any disadvantage to having the first leg at home that he said: "Why can't we go out and prove the theory wrong by sticking four past Juve?"
It is quite an ambition to have against opponents of this renown, yet the real significance of Drogba's remark lay in the tone of excitement. Moody as he can be, that volatility leads him to periods of intensity. This was one of them. The striker was beyond the visitors' control even before he had established the early lead. Cristian Molinaro, the left-back was frantic enough to barge the striker in the back when a cross came over in the 11th minute and was fortunate that the referee, Olegario Benquerenca, did not award a penalty.
There was no further reprieve, though, as Chelsea took the lead with an admirable goal. Salomon Kalou threaded a fine pass through the centre of the defence when it looked impossible to find the correct angle and Drogba swept the ball into the corner of the net. Despite the seeming air of conservatism in Hiddink's 4–1–4–1 system, there was actually plenty of licence to drive into the attack. Juventus, accordingly, had scope for daring of their own.
Tiago, a Chelsea midfielder when the Premier League title came to Stamford Bridge, set up Alessandro Del Piero for a drive in the 22nd minute that was turned behind excellently by Petr Cech. There was nothing here of the tedious prudence that might have been anticipated. The Juventus manager, Claudio Ranieri, used, of course, to be in charge of Chelsea and his boldness even went out of control when he attempted to settle the 2004 Champions League semi-final with Monaco in the first, away leg by taking ultimately ruinous decisions.
He must have been seeking to impress the new Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich then, but instead made sure that he would lose his post. It is all the more impressive therefore that Ranieri has done so much at Juventus to enhance his reputation. Some of the credit may be due him for the continued commitment of men such as Del Piero and Pavel Nedved, who are 34 and 36 respectively.
This match did not suffer from the overwrought tone that generally afflicts occasions of such importance. It may not have been the most refined of games but the enterprise and energy were compelling. Drogba continued to show dynamism although he went down far too readily in the penalty area when Giorgio Chiellini challenged after 55 minutes.
Unflappability is no longer to be taken for granted in the Chelsea defence and Cech, for instance, floundered in a couple of attempts to claim the ball and end a Juventus attack. The substitute Marco Marchionni also came close with an angled effort that went marginally wide. The tempo stayed high and the visitors seemed to find the energy to pin down Chelsea.
Hiddink could still be glad that someone like Salomon Kalou, too often peripheral in the past, took such heart from his sublime part in the opener. He had been an important contributor before he faded slightly and was replaced by Florent Malouda.
If Chelsea had shed a little of their adventure as the game entered the closing 20 minutes it could have been because the score was to their satisfaction. All the same, with Ricardo Carvalho injured, the side cannot be impregnable, as it often looked under Mourinho, and Juventus were far from fatalistic.
John Terry has not always been in peak condition during this campaign but he constantly dominated here. Chelsea had a steadiness here that suggested Hiddink can lead a recovery at Stamford Bridge.
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Mail:
Chelsea 1 Juventus 0: Drogba delivers shattering blow to Claudio’s old men
By Matt Lawton
Even if the Old Lady is heading for the geriatric ward, she still managed to finish strongly against a tiring Chelsea last night — and that will concern Guus Hiddink.
On the face of it, Hiddink should be fairly satisfied. His first appearance as manager at Stamford Bridge did not just end in victory but one that spared him the embarrassment of losing to former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri.
But he must have winced at the sight of a 36-year-old Pavel Nedved sending a shot whistling past Petr Cech’s left-hand post deep into stoppage time. Just as he must have watched anxiously, if rather admiringly, as Didier Drogba took it upon himself to drop deep into midfield and defend against an Italian side growing in stature.
After 20 minutes, Chelsea looked like they were going to make mincemeat of the opposition. Ahead thanks to a super goal from Drogba, they appeared so superior. So much so that even Big Phil Scolari would have backed himself to guide his former charges past ageing Juve.
In Alessandro Del Piero, and in Pavel Nedved and Gianluigi Buffon, some of the old magic does, however, remain and they must now consider themselves capable of performing an escape act that would even impress David Blaine.
Common sense says Chelsea have probably done enough. They have the advantage of a goal and Juve’s failure to score here makes the Italians more vulnerable in Turin.
But for Hiddink there remains much work to be done, on Chelsea’s fitness as well as the quality of their football.
If they were ruthlessly efficient in winning at Villa Park last weekend, they lacked much of the fluency of that performance on this occasion. Juve are not that good. They are a million miles from the team Manchester United only conquered because of a super-human performance from Roy Keane.
Light-years away from the days when Del Piero, Nedved and Buffon struck fear across Europe. They are a team of once great players and nearly men, with the old guard supported by players who never quite succeeded in the Barclays Premier League. Tiago, once of Chelsea, and Mohamed Sissoko, formerly of Liverpool.
In his honest assessment of Chelsea’s display, Hiddink identified flaws for the 70 minutes that followed that early promise.
They made hard work of this Champions League encounter, losing the momentum and almost losing the plot when the increasingly error-prone Petr Cech fumbled dangerously in his area. He also pulled off one or two excellent saves, not least in denying Del Piero in the first half, but if he was once Buffon’s equal as the finest keeper in the world, he no longer is now.
Confidence could be the key in Turin and the Italians may be short of it after the last 48 hours. Italian football is not what it was, as Manchester United discovered against Inter Milan and Arsenal did against Roma. The force is with the English trio and they should have no difficulty forcing their way past Italian opponents and into the quarter-finals.
Two more weeks with Hiddink will favour Chelsea. While Juve continue to work under the tinkering Ranieri, Chelsea have an astute tactician in Hiddink and someone starting to again get the best out of Drogba.
The striker could have had an early goal when Cristian Molinaro collided with him but no sooner had he dusted himself down than he was celebrating that terrific 13th minute goal. It was a beauty, from the quality of Salomon Kalou’s pass to the manner in which Drogba first left Nicola Legrottaglie standing and then lifted the ball over Buffon with a calmly-executed finish. He could have scored again three minutes later but headed wide. Chelsea were playing with real energy, their strength, power and relative youth seemingly too much for the Italians.
In Del Piero, though, Juve found inspiration. He tested Cech with a vicious strike and used a combination of intelligence and skill to at times dazzle defenders. Ashley Cole responded in frustration and took him out with a crunching challenge.
Further opportunities fell to both sides. Olof Mellberg threatened with a header; Mauro Camoranesi with a shot. Kalou tried his luck for Chelsea, as did the ambitious Cole.
A little tinkering from Ranieri in the second half — off went Camoranesi and on went Marco Marchionni — and Juve looked better still, limiting Chelsea to long-range efforts from Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack. That said, Drogba perhaps should have scored with another header.
Most impressive, however, was the sight of Alex bursting the ball in a thumping challenge that echoed around the stadium. A sign, at least, of Chelsea’s commitment.
Drogba then adopted an almost talismanic role, standing alongside John Mikel Obi as a second holding midfielder and using his ability in the air to deflect the danger.
The Old Lady could sense the anxiety and my, how she tried to force an equaliser, mustering attack after attack from those brittle bones. In Nedved, once a winner of the Ballon d’Or, they almost had their saviour before Hiddink realised a shot that appeared to finish in the net had, in fact, flown wide.
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Sun:
Chelsea 1 Juventus 0 From SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge
THE Drog is barking again and Chelsea have a slender one-goal advantage to take to Turin.
Didier Drogba has spent the last 18 months with his tail between his legs, pining for his old master Jose Mourinho.
He hated life under Avram Grant and it did not get any better when Big Felipe Scolari took over.
But the arrival of stand-in boss Guus Hiddink has given him a new lease of life and he is fighting to make amends for the penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester United in last season’s Champions League final.
Drogba was sent off on that fateful night in Moscow but if he keeps this form going, the Blues might turn those tears into cheers.
It remains a tall order, of course. Chelsea are still not firing as they should and Juve have hope of overturning the deficit in 12 days.
Hiddink, who has seen it all, done it and won the European Cup in 1988 with PSV Eindhoven, will know that better than anyone. But a bustling, battling Drogba, who provided the clinical finish on 13 minutes, could be the key man who makes the difference.
It needs two defenders to shackle him when he is in this mood and his ability to hold the ball up takes the pressure off his own side and allows the team to regroup.
Drogba is talking like a player who wants it, too.
In his pre-game battle cry he said: “I can assure the fans there is a real hunger within our players to succeed where we failed last season.”
That is the sort of talk Blues supporters want to hear and not the “Get me out of here” which had become Drogba’s mantra.
This was Hiddink’s first home game as boss but his reception paled compared to the one ex-Blues manager Claudio Ranieri received.
Ranieri was given the boot by Roman Abramovich in 2004 to make way for Jose Mourinho but the Stamford Bridge faithful still have a lot of affection for The Tinkerman.
Ranieri applauded all sides of the ground and then watched with some trepidation as Chelsea began by pulling his team apart.
Juve are not what they once were and are well off the pace in Serie A.
The Old Lady includes a number of ageing stars and a few Premier League rejects.
One-time European Footballer of the Year Pavel Nedved, who is now 36, lined up with striker Alessandro Del Piero, now 34.
Meanwhile, in central midfield there was former Chelsea squad player Tiago and Liverpool cast-off Mohamed Sissoko.
Hiddink has been preaching a pressing game since his arrival, a style that requires high levels of fitness and for the first half, Chelsea were right at it.
But they visibly tired late on and were fortunate not to concede an equaliser.
Drogba was a real menace throughout, heading just over from a Jose Bosingwa cross before bagging the all-important goal.
A cracking ball from the under-rated Kalou threaded its way between three defenders to put Drogba in on goal and, after one touch with his left foot, he buried it with his right.
It was the Drogba of old — ruthless, effective and enjoying his football. The goal was only his fourth of a frustrating season but the most significant so far. It was also his 20th European goal in his 50th Champions League game.
And he should have got another on 16 minutes when Frank Lampard’s corner presented him with a free header but he got a bit eager and put it wide from close range.
Juve did manage to get out of their own half — briefly.
Tiago played Del Piero in down the right and the veteran striker’s turn-and-shot brought an excellent save out of Petr Cech.
Chelsea needed that second goal and Drogba almost provided it again on 49 minutes.
The 6ft 2in powerhouse rose to crash in a header at the near post from Bosingwa’s cross but was just off target.
Another burst into the area saw Drogba go down under Giorgio Chiellini’s challenge but it was never a penalty.
The Ivory Coast striker did not make an issue of it but the fans behind the goal got excited. As long as Juve kept it to one-nil Chelsea had to push on for a second and there was a danger of the Italians scoring on the break.
Marco Marchionni gave them a scare with a dipping strike that just cleared the angle of post and bar as Hiddink sat twitching in his seat.
In injury time Nedved, who was still full of running despite his advanced years, fizzed a 25- yard shot just wide of the post.
Relieved owner Abramovich marched across the pitch at the final whistle, chatting with Bono and The Edge from U2.
Perhaps he was explaining that, in Hiddink, he’s got the right manager.
But as far as a ruthless team unit goes, he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for.
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Mirror:
Chelsea 1-0 Juventus: Didier Drogba puts Blues in charge
Uefa Champions League
Didier Drogba rekindled Chelsea's Champions League ambitions with a first-half matchwinner against Juventus.
It gives Guus Hiddink's side a slender advantage ahead of their last-16 second leg in Turin in a fortnight.
Drogba, his season hampered by injury, suspension and a fallout with axed coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, looked back to his predatory best when he took a pass from Salomon Kalou and despatched the ball beyond Gianluigi Buffon in the 12th minute.
Former Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri, now in charge of Juve, was given a warm reception by the home fans before the game.
Ranieri is still held in high esteem by Chelsea fans even though he failed to win a single trophy during his four-year stint at Stamford Bridge.
Ranieri's welcome was reciprocated by the home fans for their new interim coach Guus Hiddink moments later.
Hiddink was taking charge of a Chelsea side at home for the first time since his temporary appointment.
It was the English side who made the first inroads towards goal with Jose Bosingwa forcing Gianluigi Buffon into a save with a left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area in the fourth minute.
Four minutes later Drogba almost opened the scoring when he got ahead of his marker to turn a cross from Bosingwa just over the crossbar.
But the Ivorian put the home side in front in the 12th minute when a superb through ball from Salomon Kalou provided him with a clear-cut shooting opportunity and Drogba supplied the required finish in style.
It was the perfect start for the English side although Juventus claimed Drogba was offside before he fired the ball home from 10 yards.
In the 15th minute, Drogba should have made it two when he met a corner from Frank Lampard inside the six-yard box.
But the Ivorian inexplicably headed the ball wide of Buffon's right-hand upright.
It required a fine save from Petr Cech to preserve Chelsea's lead in the 21st minute, when Alessandro Del Piero tried to find the corner with an angled drive that was tipped round the post.
Juventus were enjoying their best spell of the game with Del Piero always a threat.
In the 31st minute, Ashley Cole saw a 30-yard shot deflected wide of the target with Buffon flatfooted.
The Serie A side were struggling to match Chelsea's determination and the English team's passion was underlined by two bone-crunching tackles from John Terry in space of a few seconds.
The second one left Mohamed Sissoko requiring treatment before being classed as able to resume his duties.
In the 41st minute, Pavel Nedved tested Cech with a 20-yard low drive that the Chelsea goalkeeper dealt with adequately enough.
Juventus were finding it hard to cope with the physical side of the game and Mauro Camoranesi also required lengthy treatment before continuing.
Two minutes before the interval a handball by Drogba gave Del Piero the chance to level the scores but his free-kick was hit straight at Cole.
It could have been worse for the visitors had Kalou not slipped as he tried to get on the end of Cech's long clearance.
Chelsea continued their high tempo at the start of the second half.
Some fine work by Lampard on the edge of the penalty area culminated in a shot from Michael Ballack that was wide of the target.
An away goal would have tipped the tie in favour of the Italians and Nedved again tried to outwit Cech with a long-range effort but the Chelsea keeper was at his most alert to deal with the threat.
Drogba, a constant threat, almost scored his second of the night when he got ahead of Nicola Legrottaglie to head a cross from Bosingwa just wide.
In the 50th minute Juventus lost the services of Camoranesi with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Marco Marchionni.
Moments later John Mikel Obi was the recipient of a bad challenge by Cristian Molinaro and the Juve player was justifiably booked.
Chelsea felt they should have had a penalty when Drogba was brought down by Legrottaglie in the 53rd minute but Portuguese referee Olegario Benquerenca rejected their appeals.
It was all Chelsea now with a sustained spell of pressure ending in a 20-yard shot by Lampard straight at Buffon's midriff.
In the 57th minute, Ballack was yellow-carded for a foul on Nedved.
Cech was in trouble with a free-kick from Del Piero in the 59th minute. The Czech Republic international twice failed to gather the ball before it was eventually cleared by Terry.
Marchionni then gave Cech a scare with an angled 25-yard drive that flashed just over the bar. Juventus piled on the pressure as the game entered the last 15 minutes but Chelsea's rearguard admirably stuck to its task.
Indeed, they prevented the Italian side from engineering a clear-cut chance despite having the lion's share of possession in the closing stages.
But it was Anelka who almost gave Chelsea the cushion of a second goal when his 20-yard effort flashed inches wide of an upright in the 87th minute.
Nedved was wide by a similar margin in stoppage time but Chelsea held on for a deserved victory.
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