IS DROGBA THE PROBLEM?
(5 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)At CFCnet we hate to have a pop at our players. After all, we’ve just witnessed a golden decade of unparalleled success. In saying that, it needs to be said that over the past few years we’ve all too often snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Tuesday night at Hull was a case in point. With a resurgent Man Utd hot on our tails and with Wayne Rooney probably the best player in the world right now, Hull City was our best chance to put daylight between ourselves and our closest rivals. Instead we didn’t take it and conceded yet another soft goal from a corner. 75% of the goals we’ve conceded this season have been from set pieces – need we say more?
But the bigger issue now is this – before Drogba, Mikel, Essien and Kalou went to the African Nations Cup our form was sporadic and patchy at best. In December we played eight games and won just two, yet in January we played five and won five. Are we missing Drogba or is he the problem? After all, with Drogba’s return at Hull City once again we played poorly and with a limited threat on goal.
It shows what a strange and weird game football can be. CFCnet felt that we’d go from a bad December to a worse January yet in the first four weeks of 2010 we played with the sort of form not witnessed since last April.
With Ancelotti changing in January to a 4-3-3 system everything suddenly clicked. Our passing was smooth, our attacks purposeful and the goals rained in, 19 of them to be exact. Best of all the team was exactly that – a team.
At Hull City, Ancelotti reverted back to a 4-3-1-2 formation to accommodate Drogba and we drew. Perversely it was then Drogba that then rescued us from our poor display and gained us an invaluable point.
CFCnet can’t really understand how our team could change its formation to accommodate one of the world’s best strikers only to play much worse and then be rescued by said striker! Confused? We were.
We put a call into one of our ex-player contacts and asked him what he felt. The reply? “It’s a team game and if the team is playing well you don’t change it to accommodate anyone”. He’s got a point – we thought that Chelsea in 2006 would be unbeatable by adding Shevchenko and Ballack yet we haven’t won the league since. Whilst we’re a big, big fan of Ballack, the above point is instructive.
It’s a strange state of affairs. The same thing happened in 1966 when Jimmy Greaves was by far and away the best striker in England. Yet for the sake of team dynamics, Greaves was sacrificed by Alf Ramsey for a much lesser player by the name of Geoff Hurst. It caused an outcry but the end result was winning the World Cup itself.
The bottom line is that our January formation and team worked wonders making that month our best of the season. Why change it? If that means Drogba sits on the bench, so be it. He’d make a super sub wouldn’t he?
Thoughts?
Comments
By sean on February 5th, 2010 at 11:54 am
I don’t think its drogba as such but the fact both drogba and anelka have been on such fantastic form this season that they have to play. This diamond system doesn’t work, we crave width. Were at our best with joey Cole and Malouda bombing down the wings and stretching teams, with Ashley and Ivanovic helping too. The fact both anelka and drogba deserve to start means we can’t play 4-3-3 as we would loose either a natural wingers like Malouda or loose anelkas influence if he was outwide. Even though Hiddink played that way I feel we need to play 4-4-2 with drogba anelka upfront causing mayhem, Cole and Malouda on the wings with thier pace and guile, this leaves lampard and essien (when fit) controlling the midfield, plus lamps will have his usual free role and recapture the fine form we are used to seeing year in year out
By Victor Chelsea Pihl on February 5th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
A bold statement. I would like carlo to combine our 4-3-3 formation with Drogba. That is to say, why not play Drogba as the central striker (his best position) and then put Anelka and Malouda as wingers next to him? And Super Frank, Mikel and Ballack on the midfield, with Joey Cole as first sub?
That would be great, I remember our old formation 4-3-3 with José, with Gudjohnsen or Drogba, and then Cole and Robben – unbeatable!
By David80 on February 5th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I must say that straight after the game I had this exact discussion with a fellow fan on the bus home from Hull. As good as Drogba may be when he’s on form, at the moment he is not good enough for our starting XI!
The best team at the moment is;
————-Cech
Ivanovic – Riccy – Terry – Cole
— Mikel —
— Ballack — Lampard
— Cole — Malouda
Anelka
But then again, if Drogba doesn’t play, he won’t be back on form. He was so-so in December, mixing great displays with absolute shockers. He had an indifferent ACN and against Hull he was really really poor with a first touch resembling an elephants.
Carlo won’t bench him, no way. So let’s just hope he’ll find his form asap!
By nigel on February 5th, 2010 at 11:20 pm
Interesting piece, Martin. Thanks for that. My two-penneth: Drogba’s presence is such that when he’s in the side he quickly becomes the sole focus of attack. You can almost see others thinking ‘where’s Drog’ as they receive the ball. We end up becoming a bit predictable. Without him, the point of attack moves constantly. He’s a victim of his brilliance and personality, I suppose, but I guess we’d all rather have him in he side than not so, as David08 says above, let’s just hope he’s back in the groove a bit sharpish!
By TonyBlue on February 6th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
I have had this conversation with several just recently, and even heard it’s rumblings prior to him coming back. I believe against the likes of Hull etc, who will always crowd the defence and wait for the set piece, he is indeed less effective than January’s 4-3-3 formation. With the Barca-like three prong attack we were able to cut these defensive swathes to ribbons, but with the sole Drogba up front we go back to the eternal long ball trying to find him whilst he is constantly surrounded by scores of defenders. The rest of the team drops deeper and we find ourselves continually frustrated. The reason why Drogs often plays better against the big teams is that they obviously fancy the game themselves, thus open up at the back and let him play his game, which once unshackled there is none better. Maybe Carlo should look at resting Didier for the ‘lesser’ games now and again. This would have positives from a lot of angles, including giving our other attackers time on the pitch as opposed to unconditionally playing Drogba as a given.
By Kjetil Naess on February 6th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
I said it in the infamous matchday forum, and I still mean, that Drogba is a big reason why the attack suddenly failed to click. He was simply not involved in any constructive team play. He won a few headers from long balls, and made the odd one touch pass (with varying accuracy). Nicolas Anelka on the other hand is always moving around, finding space to recieve the ball. Granted, Drogba is fantastic at creating chances out of nothing and is arguably a better player than Anelka if you compare them. Football is however a team game, and CA should focus on putting out the best team available. NOT necessarily the best 11 players.
By Bazooka Joe on February 7th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Of course Drogba is a problem!
He’s PLs biggest CHEAT. It’s pathetic and sad to see such a a big muscular man fall, roll and bellyache every time someone comes near him. He must have a really LOW treshold for pain..like a 5 year old kid
By craig macrae on February 8th, 2010 at 5:49 am
im sorry but shall we recall what happened today…he singley destroyed arsenal, drogba is the best striker in the world… problem? all you chelsea fans who think that take your blue off your not a fan you should be bowing at the feet of drogba after todays performance
when drogba plays anelka gets less goals but thats the way it has to be as drogba is better in the centre role scores more and is a better striker, i dont see anelka complaining! chelsea had no big games in Jan the first of which has been arsenal….to claim the form has suddenly changed is bullshit they were small games you would expect chelsea to win with or without drogba, they struggled against hull earlier in the season to its more likely a problem with the tactics against hull or the tactics they play against chelsea… and it was none other than the drog who saved us earlier in the season opening day ;)! ANY CHANGES IN OPINION AFTER WATCHING HIM DESTROY ARSENAL?
DROGBA Problem? = WTF DROGBA = SOLUTION!
TRUE BLUE FOR LIFE