Tag Archive for 'drogba'

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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Torres Benched Again !

Published on November 26, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments
Drogba and Torres

Drogba and Torres

It’s been 4 matches now that Torres has had to wait for his turn. In fact, he has only played 51 minutes of the last 360. It’s so frustrating to watch him warm the bench. We could use his quality on the pitch than the dug out. He was so close to re-discovering his touch.

I do not speak for AVB, but here’s my take why Drogba has been starting ahead of Torres. This has coincided with the “difficult period” as perceived by everyone at the club. We are not playing like AVB wanted us to. He has come under a lot f strain recently to produce a string of victories. Talk of his getting the sack is rubbish, but knowing Abramovich, one cannot be sure. He needed someone on the pitch to help his case. So it makes sense to go with the big bullish character of Drogba than the silky smooth and stylish nature of Torres.

When Drogba plays you can just shoot a long ball to him and expect him to hold the play for others to catch up thus bypassing the midfield. And Drogba does that very well. This allows the troubled back line to clear the ball quickly and get it into the attacking half. Torres is not good at this. He loses out to long balls and when he tries to hold up play he is often dispossessed. He’s better at having the ball played to him through the midfield in front of the goal – which Chelsea has had trouble with.

Do I believe that Drogba will always be preferred over Torres? No. Once we move on from this difficult times and put in a victory streak, I’ll expect AVB to shed all the negativity and revert back to his principle of stylish play in which Torres has a major part to play. Mata and Sturridge link up so well to create lots of chances. Throw Torres in and we’ll have an entertaining front for Chelsea.

Once again Drogba has shown that Chelsea needs him. He may be past his best but he’s still got the quality to pull us out of miserable times. It’s only me speculating and being optimistic here. I hope I am right. It’s such a shame that they can’t play together. They could have been the fearsome couple!

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