Drogba put on the spot for Chelsea’s must-win battle
The Ivory Coast striker is locked alongside Rooney on 26 goals going into the final day and is desperate to finish top of the pile.
In a wide-ranging interview, Drogba explained why this has been his best season for Chelsea, congratulated Jose Mourinho for master-minding Inter Milan’s Champions League defeat of the Blues, and revealed the John Terry scandal brought the squad closer.
He also warned his team-mates about the perils of a last-day title drama as coach Carlo Ancelotti lost the title race on the final day of the season in 2000 when his Juventus side lost 1-0 at Perguia to allow Lazio, 3-0 winners over Reggina, to win Serie A.
“This season can still be very good for us, because only six teams have ever won the league and cup double in England, and if we can do it, we would enter English football history,’’ Drogba told today’s edition of France Football.
“We have won nothing just yet, but it would be crazy for us to let it go now. Ancelotti has told us that it happened to him when he was at Juventus in 2000, so at least we can’t say we haven’t been warned.’’
And despite missing six weeks of the season while on international duty with the Ivory Coast, Drogba has charted his most prolific league tally since joining Chelsea six years ago.
“I think it’s my best season here by far,’’ he said.
“I have been consistent, despite going to the African Nations Cup for six weeks in the heat of Angola.
“It was hard going from 35C to -4! You come home and two days later, you have to face Hull, it’s not easy. Despite this, I have never had any bad patches.
“I have never scored 26 goals in the league before. My best season was in 2006-2007, when I scored 20, but that was without an African Nations Cup in the middle.’’
And Drogba is still haunted by the memory of 2007, when he finished top of the scoring charts ahead of Rooney but Chelsea ended up six points behind Manchester United.
“Three years ago, I finished above him but we didn’t win the league. There was something missing. So finishing top scorer (and winning the league) would be the cherry on the cake. That’s why if there is a penalty to take (against Wigan), I already have agreed with Frank Lampard that I will take it.’’
Drogba was answering readers’ questions for the French magazine, and he gave the surprising response that the personal scandal surrounding Chelsea captain John Terry brought the squad even closer.
“It was actually a key period for us, as we were dropping points and Terry was also not in very good form,’’ he said.
“But we remained together, as we have always done when there has been a storm at the club. The club could have imploded. We could have asked ourselves questions. But in the end we concentrated on football. We have known each other for years and that helped.’’
But the biggest disappointment of the season remains Chelsea’s Champions League loss to Inter in the quarter-finals. Once again, Europe’s elite trophy has eluded them, and though Drogba praised Inter boss Mourinho for his tactics, he did admit that the absence of Michael Essien was just as costly.
“Essien would have won the games by himself, as he could have given us his physical strength and allowed us to do more pressing,’’ said Drogba.
“His absence helped them, as did Cech’s absence. He is our defensive leader. For me, he is also the best goalkeeper in the world right now.
“And yes, I felt that Jose Mourinho had worked on a special plan for me: not really on the free-kicks, but in the game in general. I rarely found myself alone. I won’t compare myself to Lionel Messi, but this was the treatment he got over the two games against Inter. Every time, the Italians doubled up against him, like they did against Nicolas or me. The trick of Mourinho was to block the two of us and press the midfield very high, and it worked. Congratulations.’’
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