Didier Drogba insists he is happy at Chelsea and says squad rotation is good for the team
Didier Drogba has admitted that he held talks with Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, about the arrival of rival striker Fernando Torres but says he is “really happy” with his role at the club.
Bluesman: Chelsea's Didier Drogba tries to find a way through the FC Copenhagen defence Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Jeremy Wilson 11:00PM GMT 17 Mar 2011
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The £50 million signing of Torres has meant only a place on the bench for Drogba in key recent matches against Manchester United and Copenhagen (away), yet he stressed the wider benefits to Chelsea of Roman Abramovich’s January spending spree.
“It wasn’t easy the first week but that is normal,” said Drogba. “Of course [I spoke to the manager]. Communication is important. Communication is what makes a player feel comfortable in every situation.
“Today I know we are doing this for the group, for the best for the team. The team is more competitive. It’s normal that the club wants to buy another striker because we are ambitious.
“Everybody talks a lot about my future but I’m still here, I’m enjoying it and I’m happy to be here. I think, from my attitude, people see that I’m involved and I’m into the team 200 per cent. I’m really happy.”
Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou are the only Chelsea forwards to have scored since the arrival of Torres but Drogba believes that the added competition will ensure a strong finish in both the Premier and Champions Leagues.
“The squad is really competitive,” he said. “The confidence of the squad is improving. We don’t have David Luiz in the Champions League but Alex is coming back from injury and is starting to train.
"The squad is getting bigger and the competition is good between us. That is what will take us through as far as possible.
“It’s a new formation – there are a lot of strikers. I can’t complain. I’m not the only one doing the rotation. Kalou is not playing, Florent Malouda is not playing, sometimes Anelka, sometimes me.
"On Wednesday [against Copenhagen] it was Fernando [on the bench]. I think it is good for the team. A team like Chelsea must have a lot of players if they want to achieve a lot.”
Given the poor recent form of both Manchester United and Arsenal, there is also a sense that Chelsea, who are fourth, could still mount a realistic challenge for the Premier League title.
“The season is not finished yet,” said Drogba.
Chelsea are also in Friday’s Champions League quarter-final draw, with Drogba eyeing a second final in four years.
“We need to learn from the past,” he said. “The Champions League is all about details and also you need a bit of luck to win it.
"We didn’t have it in the last final but you have to provoke the luck, you have to do everything for the luck to be on your side.
“For a team like Chelsea we have to be minimum in the semi-final. Last year we lost against the winner [Inter Milan]. It makes things a bit better.
“The way they read the game was amazing — they understood the way we were playing. They counter-attacked with a lot of intensity and high tempo so that’s why we were out.
"It was a difficult moment but, after that, we had a good reaction by winning the league and the FA Cup.”
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