Chelsea striker says players should take blame for poor performances
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba claims that the players should shoulder the blame for a string of poor performances by the English Premier League champions over the last few weeks.
The Blues struggled to claim a 2-1 win over Slovakian champions MSK Zilina after falling 1-0 behind at half-time in a UEFA Champions League group stage match at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 23 November.
Issiaka Bello put the visitors ahead after 19 minutes, but Daniel Sturridge equalised six minutes after half-time and Florent Malouda netted a winner in the 86th minute.
The game came just three days after a 1-0 EPL loss to Birmingham City, Chelsea's third defeat in four league games after the 2-0 loss to Liverpool and the 3-0 reverse to Sunderland.
Though there is a level of turmoil at Stamford Bridge following the departure of assistant coach Ray Wilkins and speculation over the future of manager Carlo Ancelotti at the club, Ivory Coast international
Drogba claims that the burden of the poor performances should fall on the shoulders of the players.
The 32-year-old told reporters: "Of course we miss Ray but the players are the same. If we lose, it is not because Ray has gone, it is down to the players. The manager made it clear he is here and we have
to focus on the games.
“We have to try to resolve our problems because we are not paying well. We don't speak about this (speculation over Ancelotti's future). We stayed focused on the game. We lost against Birmingham and we
wanted to go back to winning ways."
As a result of their poor run in the EPL, Chelsea have seen their lead at the top of the table disappear and now lead Manchester United only on goal difference, while Arsenal and Manchester City are also
within three points of the leaders.
However, Chelsea have won their Champions League group and will avoid playing the likes of fellow group winners Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the first knockout phase.
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