Petr Cech insists Didier Drogba did nothing wrong by revealing his feelings about Chelsea after the departure of former coach Jose Mourinho.Goalkeeper Cech, preparing for Wednesday's Champions League clash with German side Schalke at Stamford Bridge, defended the Ivorian's right to speak his mind even though it landed the striker in hot water with the club.

Drogba revealed his desire to follow Mourinho out of the club in an interview with France Football magazine last week but later said he regretted making his thoughts public.

The striker, who bagged 33 goals last season, demonstrated his commitment to the cause with the opening goal in Saturday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League victory over Middlesbrough.

And it is that attitude which has prevented Drogba's controversial remarks from causing more unrest in a dressing room that is still recovering from the shock of Mourinho's exit.

Cech said: "Didier opened his heart in his interview but the main importance for the players, the club and the fans should be the fact that on the pitch he has always been brilliant and fighting 100%.

"Every player has the right to say what he thinks. For us the most important thing is that he plays on the pitch for the team. You can see that in any game, he is 100% for us and wants to score goals and win and that is the main thing."

Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Rosenborg in the opening Champions League proved to be Mourinho's last game in charge. Since then Avram Grant has been installed as manager and Henk ten Cate has joined from Ajax to help Steve Clarke with the coaching.

The changes have been dramatic but Cech believes the team has shown its true spirit by the results they have forged since Grant took charge.

Victory over Hull in the Carling Cup was followed by a 2-1 success over Valencia on match day two and they have since enjoyed more success in the Premier League.

Their win over Valencia means Chelsea to go into tomorrow's Group B game as leaders and Cech insists they still have the stomach for a fight despite Mourinho's departure.

Cech declared: "I think in recent games we showed our character and showed to everyone, that even though we are behind in the league, we will not give up.

"We still have plenty of games to play and that is a lot of time. A lot of things can happen. We wanted to be in a better position than we are now but we won't give up and we will chase everyone for points to win the title again.

"The expectation is always the same. We are one of the best teams in Europe and England and we always want to win.

"Even though we had a spell of some points dropped and a lot of changes, the goals for the season are always the same.

"We need to catch up in the Premier League and we want to win games in the Champions League and qualify for the next round. We will be chasing all the trophies again.

"It is always better to look forward. That is what we have always done. It is always difficult when you get a change of the manager because it is always a big event and you need to cope with that.

"We have been playing really well since the Valencia win and have made a big improvement in terms of winning points and our quality of play. We want to keep going this way.

"Valencia was a great win for us. We can't afford any points dropped at home because we did that against Rosenborg. We want to qualify as soon as we can for the next round and we can only do that by winning three points in every game."

Coach Grant believes the arrival of Ten Cate will help them in Europe this season and remains convinced the players are as committed as ever to the club despite the changes since the

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