Chelsea Hitman Didier Drogba: I Love Big Games

Chelsea's white-hot striker Didier Drogba says he is at his happiest and also his most lethal when playing in big-game atmosphere.

While lesser players are prone to shrivelling in the spotlight, the Ivorian international has proven time and time again that he is a man to be counted on when the stakes and pressure are at their highest.

The past seven days have been chalked full of pressure situations for the Blues, and their star striker has stood up in a major way by leading his club to an aggregate victory over Liverpool in the Champions League before stealing in for a dramatic winner against Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday.

“There are big games at the end of the season. When you play for a team like Chelsea, you have to perform in big games if you want to win trophies," boomed Drogba in a recent interview with The Sun.

“I love big games but it’s not easy to score every time. That’s what you try to do. It doesn’t work every time but that’s what I’m trying to do.

“I’m really happy to score goals. It’s important for me to score here at Wembley against a team like Arsenal, who play fantastic football."

Drogba has been raking in the plaudits from all circles in recent days, many pointing out that he has regained the brute power that seemed absent from his game at the beginning of the season.

“That’s how I feel. It’s good for me. I’m really happy that, in July, I decided not to go to pre-season," he said, alluding to an injury left over from the end of last season.

“I needed to rest and work well on my knee, and my leg, and my fitness to come back strong. The work I did at the beginning of the season is paying off now."

Derek Wanner, Goal.com