There was something in the air tonight, Fernando, and it seemed to be the recognition that while Fernando Torres' exorbitant wages make him unsellable, that's no longer a guarantee of a place in the team for no other reason than to spare the owner's blushes. Torres has had a longer pre-season than Drogba, who was also recently returning from an ankle injury, so when the legendary Ivorian came on for Eden Hazard as Chelsea's final substitute in the game, it seemed a signal from Mourinho that Torres is finally going to have to earn his minutes on merit. Despite his advancing years, Drogba showed signs of the player of old in his brief cameo, creating a chance for himself with a volley which almost produced a spectacular goal. By contrast, Mourinho's most recent memory of Fernando Torres will be two of his now trademark misses from point-blank range produced in pre-season. Drogba may have been lively, but fans have reason to be a little concerned with the lack of a top quality backup for Diego Costa. The Ivorian knows Mourinho and his tactics inside and out, and his strength, though diminished in recent years, makes him a better fit for the side than Samuel Eto'o ever was. Should Costa's hamstrings give way as they did at the tail end of last season, though, Mourinho will find himself relying on a 36 year old to lead his line or else be forced back into letting Torres do his £50 million headless chicken bit up front. Romelu Lukaku had reportedly already decided he wanted to leave before pre-season had even begun, making it even more of a shame Mourinho couldn't have shown a little faith in him last season to keep him sweet. Nevertheless, Costa's looking good up front, Drogba's an improvement on the first and second choices available to Mourinho last season, and it could be a very long season for Torres if he doesn't finally get his act together. What else did you learn from Chelsea's defeat of Burnley? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
28-year old English writer with a borderline obsessive passion for films, videogames, Chelsea FC, incomprehensible words and indefensible puns. Follow me on Twitter if you like infrequent outbursts of absolute drivel.
