How Do You Solve a Problem Like Didier?

All it took was one flick of the wrist, but with it Didier Drogba cast himself as the villain of the piece.

As I saw a red card being held up by the referee, from my seat at the other side of the Luzhniki stadium, I wondered who it had been shown to. 

One guy behind me said it was Terry, and confusion reigned. However, all became clear as we saw Drogba take the lonely and seemingly endless walk across the Luzhniki turf to the dressing room.

Boos began to ring out, as it became clear that some Chelsea fans had seen what Drogba had done. Some of the abuse was quite vitriolic, but I kept my counsel, as I don’t believe in booing your own players.

What Drogba did was petulant and stupid, and after a long summer to brood over it, he will know that.

As I stood in the Luzhniki stadium, trying to comprehend our loss, my thoughts turned to Drogba. I thought that slap on Vidic would be his last action in a Chelsea shirt—especially considering the comments he had made earlier on in the season:

"Something is broken with Chelsea," he was quoted as saying. "The damage is big in the dressing-room. Nothing can stop me from leaving now."

However, as I sit here writing this on the eve of the new season, Drogba is still a Chelsea player. The anticipated departure that most Chelsea fans expected hasn’t materialised.

Why? Some have suggested that no one was genuinely interested in signing the Ivorian, and there are many reasons for this.

First, Drogba does have injury problems. Last season, he missed all of December and part of January with a knee problem, and the same affliction kept him out of Chelsea's preseason programme.

His age is also another factor. Drogba’s form in the 2006/2007 season can be considered his peak performance. He is now 30 years old, and chances are the only way is down in terms of his ability to score goals.

Couple this with his injury problems, and it isn’t hard to see Drogba as a bit of a gamble.

Also, it may be stating the obvious, but Didier Drogba has got a bit of an attitude problem—he is very high maintenance. Such a player can undermine dressing room morale, no matter how much ability they have.

When combined, these three factors more than likely made clubs like AC Milan, Internazionale, and Barcelona think again about taking a gamble on Drogba.

The other side of the coin is that Chelsea never entertained any offers, and that it was always their intention to keep Drogba. This is backed up by the fact that the club have not brought in another striker just yet, and confirmed by the comments Peter Kenyon and Luiz Felipe Scolari made recently:

“There is no question that any deal will be done with regards to Didier,' Kenyon said. “The player is currently in England recovering from a knee problem."

“Didier is in rehab and will continue to be a Chelsea player. I think we can squash that one.”

Add to this that Scolari said in his first press conference as Chelsea manager that Drogba was “200%” a part of his plans, it seems Chelsea genuinely didn’t want to let him go.

However, it is hard to know what has gone on behind the scenes at the Bridge this summer. Fans don’t know what to believe. The bottom line is that it appears Didier Drogba will be at Chelsea for another season.

Drogba’s flirtation with leaving the club, and his antics during his time at Chelsea have divided opinion amongst Blues fans. On the one side there are those who are willing to put up with his antics because of his goal scoring prowess (a camp I am firmly in), and on the other side those who can’t stand him and want him to leave.

Regardless, patience is beginning to wear thin with Drogba, and he will have to knuckle down and show his commitment to the cause this coming season.

When he cuts out the diving and the histrionics, Drogba is unplayable. He needs to display this side of him more consistently. A goal scoring return akin to the one in the 2006/2007 season will be very welcome in West London.

But can he change? Or is he so set in his own ways that he isn’t capable of changing?

I think he can change under the guidance of Luiz Felipe Scolari, who has experience of dealing with big names. Avram Grant didn’t have much authority over the Chelsea dressing room, nor their respect—which allowed egos a free reign.

Scolari will not allow this to happen.

Players such as John Terry and Frank Lampard have spoken about how the Brazilian has impressed them since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. You get the feeling that the players know where they stand.

A change of manager can be just what a player needs. Jose Mourinho undoubtedly made Joe Cole a much better player—as under his predecessor, Claudio Ranieiri, Cole was merely a bench-warmer.

The arrival of Scolari could have a similar effect on Drogba.

A little under two weeks ago, I wrote a very similar piece on another Chelsea striker, Nicolas Anelka. One of the more interesting sub-plots in Chelsea’s season will be to what degree these two capable, but often maligned, strikers redeem themselves in the eyes of Chelsea fans.