Drogba's shock over Mourinho departure

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The Ivory Coast forward finds himself playing under a new boss in Mourinho's successor Avram Grant - and it is a turn of events which has taken Drogba by surprise.

"I have found Jose Mourinho's 'eviction' pretty hard to take. It changes an awful lot of things," he told The Daily Mail.

"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."

Drogba reports the Blues must find a way of retaining their winning mentality, even though the man they played for has gone.

"I could not see the blow coming so brutally," he said of Mourinho's departure by mutual consent 10 days ago. "He said he was happy to have left, and for him to admit it means he must have had a heavy heart.

"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. We could say anything to one another. That was our strength. 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."