Tag Archive for 'championsLeague'

Chelsea : There’s Only One Drog At The Bridge

Published on May 20, 2012 in Sports. 0 Comments
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba

There’s only one Drog at the Bridge, the whole of England actually. No other team has a striker so reliant that you can just will him to score and he will. And you don’t have to go through all the foreplay of passing the ball around in the midfield. Everything works for him – loft it to him directly from the goal kick, cross the ball for him, play a cutting pass through the defenders – he’s always there to collect the ball. His strength and precision makes him a defender’s nightmare. The man is Didier Drogba!

He’s been the man of big moments for Chelsea these last couple of months. He’s started every decisive match. He’s always been there for Chelsea – playing the hit man looking for goals or being the actor to break the oppositions flow and get a much deserved rest for his teammates. And he’s scored in both the finals this year.

And this is exactly why I feel a tinge of guilt about being so happy on signing Torres. I was one of the joyful people who thought we had replaced Drogba. I had even wanted Drogba out last summer so that Torres can finally take the center stage. But it is at times like these that prove we had the best striker of the English Premier League all the time. Torres’ goals and pretty play at Liverpool count for nothing against what the legendary Drogba has done at Chelsea. I am not maligning Torres – I love him and know he’ll come good for us, it’s just that I feel guilty of thinking he was eons ahead of Drogba. Well, one thing is for sure – no one can replace Drogba from the legends of Chelsea. You just cannot find another man in his mold with the same passion and dedication for the club.

With Drogba’s contract over, the million dollar question is – Will Drogba sign a new contract at Chelsea? Will Drogba leave? Should Drogba leave? Should Drogba be given the 2 year contract he so desires?

Alas all good things must come to an end. As Harvey Dent said

You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Drogba has conquered all at Stamford Bridge – the premier league titles, the Carling cup, the FA cup and now the Champions League. He has nothing to prove to anyone anymore. He’ll forever be loved by all the Chelsea fans and respected by the neutrals. And he literally won the Champions League for Chelsea. But his league form had been terrible. He’s gotten older and has slowed down. He cannot help us in the league anymore. He’s become a man for the big occasions now. He gets all charged up and energized for one game. You cannot expect him to play this way a whole year. And I do not think being a bit-part bench player would be acceptable for him. He is a legend, he deserves respect. And this is why I feel this is the right time to call it quits on his Chelsea adventure. He can walk out with his head held high on his own terms.

I realize that letting Drogba leave could backfire disastrously. Andrea Pirlo is the best example – left by Milan he won the scudetto for Juventus. But I think that letting go of Drogba now would be the best thing to do. Roman wants a change in style of play to one that does not suit Drogba. It’s better for him to leave now as the European Champion than endear a possibly frustrating campaign trying to adapt to a completely new system.

The Chelsea management have got some pretty tough decisions to make this summer. It makes me anxious. I want the suspense of summer to be over. I want to know how this story ends and I want to dream of the beginning of a new season at the Bridge. If only I could close my eyes and drift off into a month long hibernation.

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UCL: Chelsea vs Napoli – March 2012 – Reaction

Published on March 15, 2012 in Sports. 0 Comments

Right from the onset, this match was all about the Old Guard. Since the day AVB was fired all the focus has been the Old Guard and player power at Chelsea. Even I had doubts (and still have) over the longevity of our senior players. We’ve badly needed younger more attacking players for long time now. But after the recent results one has to admit that perhaps AVB got his man management all wrong.

AVB tried to alienate himself from the Old Guard and that was his biggest mistake. The group of players – Terry, Drogba, Lampard, Cech – have been the backbone and the spirit of Chelsea in recent years. Their passion and drive to win games for the club is what inspires players around them to give their all. Under AVB that had been missing.

Look at Arsenal. For all their pretty play they still fail to win matches. Leadership qualities is missing in them and Chelsea have more than their fair share in Terry, Drogba and Lampard. You could tell Drogba was in mood for goals yesterday. He got the fans behind the team by waving them and egging them on. Terry also showed his love for the club after his header sent Chelsea 2-0 up. Lampard always maintains his composure. When Lampard lined up for the penalty you couldn’t have said Chelsea were in trouble. Mata had taken the last two penalties before this game and had missed both. But there was no doubting Lampard last night. These players know how to perform when under pressure. It’s their experience, desire and passion that saw Chelsea through to the quater finals.

I wish that Drogba and Lampard stay on beyond the summer and retire as Chelsea legends. But they also need to realize that they’ll probably get lesser playing time with each passing year. I hope that they can accept and adapt to a Giggs like role when required of them.  The harsh reality is that we need to look for their replacements and blood them to have the same passion and desire that our Old Guard have. They’ve been tremendous for the team.

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CL: Chelsea vs Valencia – Dec 2011 – Post Match

Published on December 9, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments
Chelsea vs Valencia

Chelsea vs Valencia - The Drog Show

The match result left me ecstatic.A 3-0 victory on a night when there was everything to lose speaks volumes of our players nerves. I am a Chelsea fan and loved the Champions League results – the arrogant Manchester United dumped out by Basel and Manchester City humbly shown the exit door by Napoli.

It was a vintage performance by our team – reminds you of the Mourinho and Anchelotti era. Without the ball we defended passionately and with it tried quick counter attacks. There was no desire of ball retention at all.

This was a night dictated by our Old Guard – Terry, Cech and Drogba, sadly Lampard was missing the action. Once again they rose from the ashes of criticisms to put on a grand show. Cech made wonderful saves diving full length. He kept the Valencia attack at bay with ease. There was only one chance when the ball hit the side bar immediately after Chelsea had scored. Otherwise Cech commanded the goal majestically. Terry and Ivanovich stood like walls in front of their goal keeper. Diving into everything, they made sure that the opposition strikers don’t get a chance to come any where near the goal. Valencia had to be content with long range attempts.

But most of all, it was The Drog Show on display at the Stamford Bridge. I am among the people who have voiced for Drogba to be replaced by Torres in the starting line up. But he proved yesterday night that Torres will always find it difficult to be the automatic choice. His strength, aerial prowess and the ability to hold up play was what got us through that night. In times when defending desperately, you could just lop the ball to this man and he’ll take care of the rest.

Yes, it was the experience and not the youth that got us through. It was the will to prove themselves that got us through. People have been talking a lot about a subdued Stamford Bridge and a fortress that once was and can never be again – it was the need to silence them that got us through.

But this was so uncharacteristic of AVB. At the end one can argue that the strategy was effective,  but would I want my team to play like this every match? Definitely no!

AVB was brought to transform the style of our play. He wants more ball retention and higher tempo. Chelsea has found it difficult to adjust to these new demands. But you have to go through a painful learning curve. Dumping one philosophy and adopting another is not an easy task as AVB must have realized. Yet one must not give up.

AVB is young and this is his first big assignment. He is also learning. The positive I can take out of the match is that he can have two styles of play – the attacking and the defensive one. Quite often this season we have given away last minute goals. This is because we always stick to the high line of defense – something our defenders are not super comfortable with. Also since we want more ball retention the defenders, when challenged by the other team, try to play the ball to one another or a midfielder instead of just kicking it out of play. Luiz being more comfortable with the ball is able to do this, though he over does it. The others are still learning.

What we can do is to attack and get a bit defensive towards the end of the game when playing a tough opposition – when playing against Manchester City and Spurs for example. As seen yesterday, Terry and co. are very comfortable sitting deep and defending as if their life is at stake. But when we play lesser opponents, I want us to attack all the time. Maintain the high line, press a lot and convert shots on goals. With time we can completely transition to the more attractive style.

There have been lot of rumors in the papers lately. But I want Lampard, Terry and Drogba to see off their playing career with us. They’ve given so much to the team. They were the first revolution. Let’s see what the future holds for them.

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