What became of Great Dane Brian Laudrup

Chelsea fans learned to expect the unexpected when Laudrup joined them from Rangers on a free transfer in June 1998. He arrived with a reputation as one of Europe's top strikers but left for FC Copenhagen five months later, claiming he was unable to settle in London.

He was also upset by football matters. Gianluca Vialli, player-manager at the time, was operating a squad rotation system and the Dane's difficulties with it might serve as a warning to the current tinkerer-in-chief, Claudio Ranieri.

Laudrup said: "My decision to go to Chelsea was the right one at the time, but it did not work out for me. I was there five months and I just felt I wanted to go back home. The players at the time were great - there were some real characters - but I never really felt comfortable. Chelsea had a rotation system which I really hated. As a player I wanted to play every week. Sometimes you did not know if you were playing or not. Some players like to play two or three games and then have a rest, but it did not suit me. I did not like all the uncertainty."

Despite only playing 11 games for Chelsea, Laudrup, who also had spells with Bayern Munich, Fiorentina and AC Milan, has been keeping a close eye on events at Stamford Bridge.

Laudrup said: "It was amazing the way they went to Lazio and beat them comfortably 4-0. They have so many star players. Claudio Ranieri has done a fantastic job keeping so many of them happy. It must be very difficult.

"I can still see it being a problem for him if a player is not playing for three or four weeks because it is difficult to maintain the right level of performance. But all the big clubs in Europe now have two teams so Chelsea are not so unusual. It is important now because the strain on the players is getting worse."

Laudrup takes a special interest in Chelsea's Jesper Gronkjaer, who was a key player in the Denmark team which qualified for Euro 2004 ahead of Norway and Romania. He says the Danes share the frustration of many Blues fans about the winger's lack of consistency.

He said: " The problem for Jesper is that there are so many talented players at Chelsea that he does not play every week.

"In Denmark we expect a lot from him as he is one of our main attacking players, but he does not always show his qualities.

"You get frustrated with him in some games, while in others he is absolutely brilliant. He is a vital player for Denmark and hopefully when he gets older he will be a bit more consistent."

Gronkjaer generally plays alongside Ebbe Sand, Jon Dahl Tomasson or Dennis Rommedahl in a three-pronged Danish attack and looks set to line up against Sven-Goran Eriksson's team on Sunday.

The Danes are anxious to put in a good display to help erase painful memories of England's 3-0 win in the second round of the last World Cup.

He added: "A draw would be a good result for the players, particularly after the heavy defeat at the World Cup. There was a lot of heartache in Denmark after that game when although England played well, we did not really perform."

Other Danish stars

ALLAN SIMONSEN: The first Dane to win the European Footballer of the Year award, in 1977, Simonsen was then involved in one of London football's most bizarre transfers when he joined Second Division strugglers Charlton for £300,000 in 1982. Now combines managing Luxembourg with running his own sportswear company.
JESPER OLSEN: The flying winger won the 1985 FA Cup with Manchester United and was a member of Denmark's 1986 World Cup squad. In 1992 he became a director of Proactive Sports Management, along with former Old Trafford team-mate Kevin Moran.
JOHN JENSEN: Shot to fame with Denmark's opening goal in the 1992 European Championship Final. Moved to Arsenal, where he scored just one goal in 93 league games. In 1999 he took charge of Herfolge, winning the Danish title in his first season. Relegated the next year, Jensen is now assistant to Brondby coach Michael Laudrup.