Chelsea Debate: Who's More Important To The Blues, Didier Drogba Or Nicolas Anelka?
Forced to choose, Carlo Ancelotti might actually opt for the Frenchman...
Nov 10, 2009 11:56:42 AM
Didier Drogba thanks Nicolas Anelka for the assist that helped the Chelsea man give his side the lead against Fulham
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Ahead of last Sunday’s match with Manchester United, many pundits predicted that Carlo Ancelotti's men would win, based almost solely on the incredible form of their strikeforce and United’s somewhat make-shift backline.
Eventually they were proven right, although perhaps not in the convincing manner many expected.
And with so much pre-match hype focusing on Didier Drogba, it was actually Nicolas Anelka who looked most dangerous for the Blues throughout the match — and indeed it was the Frenchman who was heavily involved in the crucial goal that decided the game.
Such a scenario might lead many to re-evaluate which striker has actually had the better season, and is actually more important to the team.
Drogba has 12 goals in 14 leagues matches so far this year, a phenomenal record that underlines his status as one of the world’s greatest strikers.
By contrast, Anelka has just five goals from the same number of games as his illustrious strike partner. He also only has three assists — to Drogba’s five.
But Anelka's movement and guile has made Carlo Ancelotti's side look more threatening whenever he is on the pitch. While Drogba relies on his formidable physical and technical attributes to batter his way through defences, Anelka's more intricate approach attempts to undo them at the seams, allowing his team-mates to exploit the space and disorganisation he has created.
Together, it is a two-pronged approach that defences understandably struggle to deal with.
As the 30-year-old's former Arsenal team-mate, Nigel Winterburn, told the Evening Standard: "He is playing alongside the perfect partner for him in Drogba now. They are completely different players but it works as a combination."
But, on their own, Anelka's method is perhaps harder for the opposition to counter than Drogba's.
Chelsea haven’t lost — or drawn — a game in which Drogba hasn’t played this season, indicating that perhaps they aren’t as reliant on him as the statistics suggest.
On Sunday, in the club’s biggest match of the season so far, it was Drogba who was almost anonymous throughout. His presence seemed to distract the United defence more than his performance did (something that still helped his side) and in general his most significant action was a typically over-stated reaction to an injury and harsh booking.
Saluted | Drogba has drawn the plaudits
Anelka, by contrast, put in a top-drawer display that really kept his side’s momentum going. With Deco another abject performer — the Portuguese schemer dropped so deep on occasions in search of the ball he frequently fell out of the match altogether — the responsibility fell on the French international to link play between midfield and attack.
That he did expertly, with almost every touch creating something for himself or his team-mates.
It is something he has been doing all season.
After all, Drogba’s suspension from the opening three Champions League games was supposed to cause Ancelotti’s men great problems. But the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool striker stepped up to the plate, scoring the crucial goals in both his side’s narrow 1-0 wins against Porto and APOEL.
In the the third game, against an Atletico Madrid side in disarray, he was instrumental as Chelsea cantered to a 4-0 triumph.
Respect | Team-mates appreciate Anelka's work
Those goals earned Chelsea a draw, but it wasn’t until Anelka’s introduction as a second-half substitute, with the Blues performing poorly, that Drogba was able to make his impact.
With Kalou alongside him he had struggled to get involved in the match, but Anelka's presence seemed to liberate the side and cause Atletico problems.
The evidence then, across the season, indicates that Anelka is equally important to Chelsea as Drogba.
The Ivorian might have grabbed most of the headlines and scored most of the goals, but even he will recognise that his French strike partner has been instrumental in creating for him the time and space to create and take such chances.
Ancelotti must be delighted to have two such on-form strikers, and should take credit for building on Guus Hiddink’s initial work and molding the two into a formidable partnership that many predicted could never be achieved.
But then Ancelotti has long been an admirer of the Frenchman.
"I wanted to buy Anelka when I was with Juventus. He was 21 years old back then," the Italian has revealed.
"He's more consistent now. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. He has it all — he is a good jumper, he has technical quality, he shoots fantastically and he moves very well on the pitch."
One thing is for sure, Drogba and Anelka are now much better together than they are apart.
But, deep down, is Ancelotti actually thankful that of the two it is not Anelka who is off to the Africa Cup of Nations in January?
Alex Dimond, Goal.com UK
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