Chelsea striker Drogba promises to deliver under Hiddink
Chelsea striker Drogba promises to deliver under Hiddink
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Drogba, marginalised under previous boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, gave Chelsea a slender one-goal lead over Serie A giants Juventus when he pounced to convert a pass from Salomon Kalou in the 12th minute.
The Ivorian was dropped by sacked boss Scolari following Chelsea's 3-0 defeat by Manchester United in the English Premier League in January. But since Hiddink agreed to take charge of the club on a temporary basis until the summer, Drogba has started the last two games in his preferred central striking role.
Now Drogba has set his sights on hitting the kind of form that once made him a feared European striker and paid tribute to Hiddink's confidence in him.
"You haven't lost your Drogba, he was just not playing," said Drogba.
"At the moment I feel good when I'm on the pitch. I'm not at my best because I think I need more games but I'm giving what I can at the moment.
Coach's support
"The truth is that the coach relies on me, which is a massive psychological boost for a striker. Physically, I'm not ready yet, but I need to play to get back in good form.
"There's no sense of revenge at all, that's my game. You can see from the last two games that Hiddink is working a lot on the shape of the team, the organisation, you have to respect that because we know we will have chances to score goals," added Drogba.
In Wednesday night's Champions League last 16 tie, Chelsea prevented Juve from getting an all important away goal but now the Blues have to go to Turin and produce a massive performance to reach the quarter-finals.
However, Drogba believes his early strike against Juve could turn out to be crucial.
"We have a good chance. We need to score there definitely. Maybe get a draw, or not to concede and score one. It's not going to be easy but I think we have the team to do it."
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