Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has brought an end to the ‘player power’ era at Stamford Bridge.

Abramovich is adamant that team boss Carlo Ancelotti is in charge now, not the playing personnel.

And this claim comes in spite of the criticism leveled at Ancelotti following the Blues' Champions League exit against Jose Mourinho's Internazionale.

However, Abramovich's move to hand Ancelotti power will see the former Milan boss bounce back stronger from their defeat.

A top insider at Stamford Bridge said: "The players have had a lot of sway over the years and used it over and over again to get what they wanted.

"They got the big contracts but they delivered the big prizes.

"The trouble is they're not delivering right now and it's been decided it's time for a change.

"So although the players will still have an input, it is Ancelotti who will run the show from now on."

It is a huge paradigm shift by Abramovich who has spoilt the club's superstars since acquiring the club in 2003.

Club captain JohnTerry and Frank Lampard wined and dined on the Russian yacht and there are many stories of Abramovich reaching out to the team.

However, the owner's cosy association with his players has proved to be a dual-edged sword.

Though he has the trust of his playing personnel, player power has been cited in the removal of Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luis Felipe Scolari.

And Terry has repeatedly acknowledged that he would pay a visit directly to Abramovich and request that he extend some of the players at the club.

Petr Cech was even given permission to hire his own goalkeeping coach, Christophe Lollichon.

But Carlo Ancelotti is the sole holder of power at Stamford Bridge now and the times when players always got what they asked for are coming to an end.