So Jose’s gone and Avram Grant has been put in place as manager at Stamford Bridge this morning – just where does that Chelsea on the eve of the clash with United at the weekend? If you were going to have a stab at speculating on the reaction of the players to the move, you’d plump for a somewhat negative one. Jose clearly had a close relationship, at least with his key players. Grant could face the same kind of reaction from his dressing room as he is sure to face from the terraces. It’s clear he faces a massive task to turn an already stuttering Chelsea lineup into one that can come away with something from Old Trafford. Long term, Chelsea will surely look elsewhere for a managerial solution, maybe Gus Hiddink as widely discussed today. In the short term a title challenge now looks like a momentous task and the reality of that begins this weekend.

Fantasy Managers are fortunate in that injuries to Lampard and Drogba will have already seen many sell on the Chelsea crown jewels. Those who have clung on to the pair, along with the likes of Terry and Malouda must seriously consider the effects of today’s move on form that has already stalled at Villa Park and against Rosenborg in midweek. Certainly until we have a view on Grant’s lineup, which won’t come until both Lampard and Drogba are fit, there appears to be too much uncertainty around Chelsea to risk holding on to their players for the next month or so.