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Chelsea Analysis: If You Stop Didier Drogba, Do You Stop The Blues?
Mourinho's masterplan shows how desperately Blues need a back-up plan...
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £31.00 | Draw £32.50 | Chelsea £22.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £31.00 | Draw £32.00 | Chelsea £23.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £32.00 | Draw £32.50 | Chelsea £23.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £30.00 | Draw £32.50 | Chelsea £24.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £30.00 | Draw £33.00 | Chelsea £25.10 |
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Mar 17, 2010 2:00:00 PM
By Alex Dimond
It doesn't seem like a proper exit from the Champions League for Chelsea unless Didier Drogba gets himself sent-off.
Along with John Terry's emotional outbursts or Roman Abramovich's glum expression, it is one of the tell-tale signs that the Blues have once again failed to live up to expectations in European competition.
After being dismissed by Wolfgang Stark in Tuesday's disappointing defeat to Inter for a stamp on Thiago Motta, the Ivorian has now been given his marching orders on the last three occasions Chelsea's quest for the Champions League has come to an unsuccessful end.
Partly the obnoxious behaviour of a sore loser, Drogba's actions were also those of a man frustrated after 180 minutes on the fringes of the action. It is hard to remember a half-chance, let alone a clear sight at goal, that the 32-year-old had over both legs against Jose Mourinho's side.
Mourinho had clearly cottoned on to the secret: Beat Drogba, you beat Chelsea. Having worked that out, the Special One took advantage ruthlessly and led his side to the result few had predicted, but, especially after Diego Milito's third-minute goal in the first leg, rarely looked in much doubt.
Chelsea's reliance on Drogba hasn't always been the case, especially this season. Indeed, the Blues have actually proved remarkably adept at winning games without him.
Perhaps it frees them up tactically to pass the ball around patiently, rather than fall for the temptation to send it up to the talisman as quickly as possibly, but Chelsea made light work of the three Champions League games the Ivorian missed at the beginning of the season — with Nicolas Anelka scoring two winners against Porto and APOEL Nicosia and Atletico Madrid being subjected to a 4-0 drubbing in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
In January, with Drogba and the rest of Chelsea's African contingent competing in Angola, Chelsea reeled off five wins on the trot with the minimum of fuss. Such a turn of events should at least give Chelsea fans some crumbs of comfort, with Drogba set to receive a four-game suspension from next season's Champions League campaign for his latest sending off.
Two weeks after that victory over Atletico, however, Drogba returned to action in Europe against Los Colchoneros in a scrappy performance where he scored twice but the Blues still only came away with a draw. On his return to action for the Blues in February, the previously unstoppable side drew against lowly Hull City — with Drogba getting the important equaliser.
Both examples might just illustrate a striker rescuing his side after a poor team performance — but it just as easily reveals a good team becoming less effective when their most important individual upsets the balance.
Drogba has scored 27 goals in all competitions this season, picking up plaudits from all-comers, but a fair percentage of those goals have come in games where he only made one or two telling contributions in the entire 90 minutes. In the Blues’ last Premier League game against West Ham United, for example, Drogba was quiet throughout but still managed to tap home two goals to grab the headlines.
In fairness to the reigning African player of the year, there have also been countless examples of the Ivorian deciding games practically by himself. This started on the opening day of the season, when a dominating but frustrated Chelsea side only overcame Hull City after Drogba scored two fine individual efforts (a free kick and a late cross-shot).
A more recent example came against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in February where he was untouchable, bursting out of the gates to win the game inside the first half with two well-taken goals.
Since then, however the tide has seemingly turned. Chelsea’s results have become less consistent, suddenly becoming reliant upon or defined by how their No. 9 fares. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-0, both goals), Cardiff City, Hull City and Fulham, Drogba almost single-handedly rescued something for his side — not always playing well but making decisive plays when needed.
When he does that so frequently, even in otherwise sluggish displays, is it any wonder his team-mates start to defer to him more and more when the biggest games are on the line?
Against Manchester City Drogba was kept very quiet, paving the way for Roberto Mancini’s side to grab a famous win at the previously impregnable Stamford Bridge. He was also ably silenced against Everton at Goodison Park in another chastening defeat for the Blues.
And then came the two legs against Inter, where Drogba came up against arguably the two finest defenders he has encountered all season.
In both games, fans from across the world were shown in the clearest terms that when Drogba is silenced, his team struggle to be effective.
Chelsea's players never learned that lesson themselves, however, with their methods ingrained after a season of overwhelmingly positive results. Even late into the second leg the midfielders were looking to get the ball into Drogba around the box — a tactic that has been effective against lesser opponents at times this season — and saw Lucio and Walter Samuel deal with it with ease.
With Nicolas Anelka stationed wide right and remarkably reluctant to come inside, Chelsea had no real understanding as to how they could improve their chances of making a breakthrough. Quite simply, they are so used to Drogba producing something special that even when he was being resoundingly beaten in his individual battle, they still tried to get the ball to him.
Drogba’s attributes and goalscoring quality are a blessing to Chelsea for 90 per cent of the games he plays. But in the other 10 per cent, which includes last night's match, that reliance his team-mates have developed on him has become nothing short of a curse.
As great as Drogba often is, Chelsea desperately need a back-up plan.
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Along with John Terry's emotional outbursts or Roman Abramovich's glum expression, it is one of the tell-tale signs that the Blues have once again failed to live up to expectations in European competition.
After being dismissed by Wolfgang Stark in Tuesday's disappointing defeat to Inter for a stamp on Thiago Motta, the Ivorian has now been given his marching orders on the last three occasions Chelsea's quest for the Champions League has come to an unsuccessful end.
Partly the obnoxious behaviour of a sore loser, Drogba's actions were also those of a man frustrated after 180 minutes on the fringes of the action. It is hard to remember a half-chance, let alone a clear sight at goal, that the 32-year-old had over both legs against Jose Mourinho's side.
Mourinho had clearly cottoned on to the secret: Beat Drogba, you beat Chelsea. Having worked that out, the Special One took advantage ruthlessly and led his side to the result few had predicted, but, especially after Diego Milito's third-minute goal in the first leg, rarely looked in much doubt.
Chelsea's reliance on Drogba hasn't always been the case, especially this season. Indeed, the Blues have actually proved remarkably adept at winning games without him.
Perhaps it frees them up tactically to pass the ball around patiently, rather than fall for the temptation to send it up to the talisman as quickly as possibly, but Chelsea made light work of the three Champions League games the Ivorian missed at the beginning of the season — with Nicolas Anelka scoring two winners against Porto and APOEL Nicosia and Atletico Madrid being subjected to a 4-0 drubbing in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
In January, with Drogba and the rest of Chelsea's African contingent competing in Angola, Chelsea reeled off five wins on the trot with the minimum of fuss. Such a turn of events should at least give Chelsea fans some crumbs of comfort, with Drogba set to receive a four-game suspension from next season's Champions League campaign for his latest sending off.
Two weeks after that victory over Atletico, however, Drogba returned to action in Europe against Los Colchoneros in a scrappy performance where he scored twice but the Blues still only came away with a draw. On his return to action for the Blues in February, the previously unstoppable side drew against lowly Hull City — with Drogba getting the important equaliser.
Job done | Inter contained and frustrated Drogba
Both examples might just illustrate a striker rescuing his side after a poor team performance — but it just as easily reveals a good team becoming less effective when their most important individual upsets the balance.
Drogba has scored 27 goals in all competitions this season, picking up plaudits from all-comers, but a fair percentage of those goals have come in games where he only made one or two telling contributions in the entire 90 minutes. In the Blues’ last Premier League game against West Ham United, for example, Drogba was quiet throughout but still managed to tap home two goals to grab the headlines.
In fairness to the reigning African player of the year, there have also been countless examples of the Ivorian deciding games practically by himself. This started on the opening day of the season, when a dominating but frustrated Chelsea side only overcame Hull City after Drogba scored two fine individual efforts (a free kick and a late cross-shot).
A more recent example came against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in February where he was untouchable, bursting out of the gates to win the game inside the first half with two well-taken goals.
Since then, however the tide has seemingly turned. Chelsea’s results have become less consistent, suddenly becoming reliant upon or defined by how their No. 9 fares. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers (2-0, both goals), Cardiff City, Hull City and Fulham, Drogba almost single-handedly rescued something for his side — not always playing well but making decisive plays when needed.
When he does that so frequently, even in otherwise sluggish displays, is it any wonder his team-mates start to defer to him more and more when the biggest games are on the line?
Drog days | Chelsea can rely too much on striker
Against Manchester City Drogba was kept very quiet, paving the way for Roberto Mancini’s side to grab a famous win at the previously impregnable Stamford Bridge. He was also ably silenced against Everton at Goodison Park in another chastening defeat for the Blues.
And then came the two legs against Inter, where Drogba came up against arguably the two finest defenders he has encountered all season.
In both games, fans from across the world were shown in the clearest terms that when Drogba is silenced, his team struggle to be effective.
Chelsea's players never learned that lesson themselves, however, with their methods ingrained after a season of overwhelmingly positive results. Even late into the second leg the midfielders were looking to get the ball into Drogba around the box — a tactic that has been effective against lesser opponents at times this season — and saw Lucio and Walter Samuel deal with it with ease.
With Nicolas Anelka stationed wide right and remarkably reluctant to come inside, Chelsea had no real understanding as to how they could improve their chances of making a breakthrough. Quite simply, they are so used to Drogba producing something special that even when he was being resoundingly beaten in his individual battle, they still tried to get the ball to him.
Arms race | Lucio proved too strong for Drogba
Drogba’s attributes and goalscoring quality are a blessing to Chelsea for 90 per cent of the games he plays. But in the other 10 per cent, which includes last night's match, that reliance his team-mates have developed on him has become nothing short of a curse.
As great as Drogba often is, Chelsea desperately need a back-up plan.
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