Galatasaray vs. Chelsea: 5 Things We Learned

Chelsea let a first-half lead slip in Istanbul to leave it all to play for when Galatasaray visit Stamford Bridge in three weeks.

An early Fernando Torres goal was cancelled out by poor defending, which let in Aurelien Chedjou to equalise.

Meanwhile, man of the moment Didier Drogba put in a largely forgettable performance before being taken off.

So what exactly did we learn from this 1-1 draw?

Cesar Azpilicueta Is the Hardest-Working Man in the Chelsea Squad

Uncredited/Associated Press

Jose Mourinho told reporters that if Chelsea had a team of 11 Cesar Azpilicuetas, they would win the Champions League.

He plays on the left. He plays on the right. He has been known to play in the middle.

Wherever he plays, he puts in a performance that offers 100 per cent, both in defence and attack. He's arguably the league's most in-form full-back right now.

Many asked who the man with the long name was when Chelsea signed him for £7 million from Olympique Marseille.

Few are asking that now about this contender for Chelsea's player of the season.

Eden Hazard Can Over-Complicate Matters

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A pass too far, a run too many. Sometimes, you just want to see Eden Hazard put the ball in the net.

His approach has looked a little overcooked since the master class against Newcastle, and tonight was no exception.

As the game wore on, he looked more and more off the pace. This, in turn, revealed how reliant upon his skills this Chelsea side is. Major changes are not needed. He is, after all, one of the most insanely gifted players presently plying his trade in the Premier League.

However, he could do with going back to basics on a few things.

Didier Drogba Let the Occasion Get to Him

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A Turkish colleague, perhaps a little uncharitably, suggested at half-time that the home might be winning "if Didier Drogba played for Galatasaray too."

Certainly when the register was called in this match, the ex-Chelsea man was found to be absent time and time again.

The balls came up for him, but oddly for one who has made a career out of doing just the opposite, he was almost always elsewhere.

And when he was where he should be, he managed to hit the post from point-blank range.

Chelsea have romanced Drogba over the last few weeks—a forward party from Chelsea TV sent to push his emotional buttons, an extra pre-match day in Istanbul to make their presence felt.

Drogba is an emotional guy and here he seems to have let that emotion get to him.

Chelsea's Defence Is Prone to Huge Lapses in Concentration

Uncredited/Associated Press

When Didier Drogba hit the post just after the hour mark, the writing had already been on the wall for several minutes.

The Blues looked vulnerable at the back and conceded in the next attacking move from their hosts.

These lapses are all too common and one can only imagine what Jose Mourinho has to say about them in training.

While the manager focuses—publicly at least—on the difficulties at the other end of the pitch, there is still work to be done at the back.

English Clubs CAN Do It in Europe

Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press

After a week in which you'd be forgiven for thinking the Premier League was a waning force in Europe, Chelsea remain the side to buck that trend.

The only English side to reach the quarter-finals of the competition since 2011-12, they look on course to again be the only representative of the continent's richest league at that stage.

Chelsea now have a body of experience in this competition that, at times, seems to carry them through on its own—as it famously did in 2012.

With England's Champions League qualifying quotient based upon the enduring success of its teams, some of the league's top sides should pause to thank Chelsea for their continuing perseverance.