Axing Jose has ruined harmony at Chelsea, insists Drogba

The Ivory Coast striker could make a surprise return from injury in today's London derby at home to Fulham in what will be new manager Avram Grant's first home Premier League game.

But his thoughts are still with Mourinho. Drogba said: "I have found Jose Mourinho's eviction pretty hard to take. It changes an awful lot of things. I'm on my way back from a knee injury and at the moment I am in the sort of nervous state I've never even dreamed about before.

"His departure destroys a certain familiarity we had at the club. Mourinho's mentality suited us, and it perfectly fitted the image that Chelsea had given off for a number of years.

"I could not see the blow coming so brutally. He said he was happy to have left, and for him to admit it means he must have had a heavy heart."

While Drogba did not mention billionaire owner Roman Abramovich by name, it is clear that his loyalties lie on the Mourinho side of the Chelsea divide that Grant now has to heal.

Drogba said: "It felt strange to return to our training centre at Cobham and no longer see Mourinho. That was when the shock hit home.

"There was a real family spirit in the camp. It was strong and we all had our habits. We could say anything to one another. That was our strength. This will need mental strength and a united squad. Many of us used to play first and foremost for the manager.

"Now we need to forget those feelings and find another source of motivation. But I don't want to say anything more. It annoys me to talk about it."

Grant knows it will be weeks, even months, before he can demand the affection from fans to match that afforded Mourinho, though his pledge to cast off the safety-first approach of his predecessor will excite those who demand Chelsea win with style.

The Israeli said: "I have never seen one club where the fans loved their coach from the first week or the first games. I don't think the Chelsea fans loved Jose from the first week. He did something that made them love him. So I will try to do the same.

"I need to show something It annoys me to talk about it."

Grant knows it will be weeks, even months, before he can demand the affection from fans to match that afforded Mourinho, though his pledge to cast off the safety-first approach of his predecessor will excite those who demand Chelsea win with style.

The Israeli said: "I have never seen one club where the fans loved their coach from the first week or the first games. I don't think the Chelsea fans loved Jose from the first week. He did something that made them love him. So I will try to do the same.

"I need to show something play. We will continue to play like this. We want many players in attack. The base was good at Hull, but from this base we need to do things better.

"I have not coached here in England, but in the last World Cup qualifiers, as coach of Israel, we were in a group with France and Ireland and we scored more goals than either of them. And in all my years as a coach in the Israeli league, my teams were always first or second top goalscorers.

"One of my targets is that the players play with a smile on their faces. We are happy if we win. But for me, the way we win is very important."