Chelsea star claims Didier Drogba is still a threat
Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has backed his team-mate Didier Drogba, claiming that the Ivory Coast striker is still a threat despite a barren run in front of goal.
Drogba has failed to score in any of his last eight games from open play and may still be suffering from the effects of malaria.
However, the 32-year-old set up Malouda for the winner against MSK Zilina in a UEFA Champions League group stage game at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 23 November, and came close to scoring himself with a powerful free-kick which crashed off the post.
As a result, Malouda says that his team-mate can never be written off and is always capable of threatening the opposition, even when not at his best.
The France international told reporters: “Great players, they are never in doubt. It’s not a problem. He creates chances for us because the defenders are always around him. He is a great champion. Even though he has not scored for (eight) games, he can score
any time.
“He is so important. As you can see, he gave me that goal. We should remember that he was suffering from malaria three weeks ago, which is really difficult. He wants to play and is still a threat. He was really unlucky again (on Tuesday) night.”
Drogba has been an important part of the Chelsea side which have racked up three English Premier League titles over the last seven seasons as well as three FA Cups, two Football League Cups and two FA Community Shields. He also helped the Blues reach the
2008 Champions League final against Manchester United, but they were defeated on penalties.
The striker is Chelsea's sixth highest goalscorer of all time, having netted 138 goals in 273 games across all competitions.
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