Didier Drogba will not feature for Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League clash at Genk tonight, and sadly for the Ivorian striker he will not be missed.
Drogba is yet to play in the Champions League for Chelsea, and has scored only once in the Premier League so far this season. Since winning the 2009/2010 Golden Boot with an astounding return of 29 goals in 32 games, Drogba has scored only 12 goals in 34 Premier League games.
The 33 year-old striker is also suffering a lot of misfortune on the injury front. As he prepared to lead the Ivory Coast into the 2010 World Cup as their talismanic figure and leading goal scorer, he suffered a broken arm in a warmup match against Japan.
Surgery was performed to put screws in his arm, allowing him to make a rushed recovery and play the World Cup in a cast. It is the removal of those screws that are causing his current injury layoff.
Since the World Cup Drogba has suffered some niggling muscle injuries, and had the misfortune of being knocked out cold by Norwich City goalkeeper and suffering a concussion.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas told BBC Sport that “we took the risk based on his suspension and the forthcoming international break to remove six of the eight screws from his arm.”
That seems logical, but Drogba must be hoping there is not a darker truth behind the decision, he must hope that Chelsea do not think him missing time to recover from surgery no longer has a direct impact on their season.
Given the physically imposing style of play Drogba adopts, and his reliance on physical dominance to overpower defenders it is likely that when age catches up with him performance will drop off significantly and quickly.
A player like Teddy Sheringham extended his career as he found pockets of space and played quick passes and shots, nullifying his physical disadvantages as father time slowly crept up on him. Drogba will not have this luxury, and it is possible that the Ivory Coast’s greatest ever striker is already entering the twilight of his career.
Like all new managers you can expect Villas-Boas to spend this summer, and it is unlikely he will prefer a 33 year-old forward to a new and exciting big money signing.
Of the strikers that are at Stamford Bridge right now, Drogba is down the depth chart and unlikely to play enough to score 10 goals this season.
Daniel Sturridge is an emerging force for Chelsea and at the age of just 22 has many more miles left on the clock than Drogba. Fernando Torres is finally showing signs of a return to form, and Chelsea are less likely to cut the string on Torres given the huge financial investment they made in him.
Nicolas Anelka is struggling this season but has scored as many goals as Drogba has, while at the wide forward spots players like Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and Juan Mata are simply in better form than the Ivorian striker.
Didier Drogba’s career in professional football may not be over just yet, but his days at Chelsea could very likely be drawing to a close.
The 33 year-old striker is also suffering a lot of misfortune on the injury front. As he prepared to lead the Ivory Coast into the 2010 World Cup as their talismanic figure and leading goal scorer, he suffered a broken arm in a warmup match against Japan.
Surgery was performed to put screws in his arm, allowing him to make a rushed recovery and play the World Cup in a cast. It is the removal of those screws that are causing his current injury layoff.
Since the World Cup Drogba has suffered some niggling muscle injuries, and had the misfortune of being knocked out cold by Norwich City goalkeeper and suffering a concussion.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas told BBC Sport that “we took the risk based on his suspension and the forthcoming international break to remove six of the eight screws from his arm.”
That seems logical, but Drogba must be hoping there is not a darker truth behind the decision, he must hope that Chelsea do not think him missing time to recover from surgery no longer has a direct impact on their season.
Given the physically imposing style of play Drogba adopts, and his reliance on physical dominance to overpower defenders it is likely that when age catches up with him performance will drop off significantly and quickly.
A player like Teddy Sheringham extended his career as he found pockets of space and played quick passes and shots, nullifying his physical disadvantages as father time slowly crept up on him. Drogba will not have this luxury, and it is possible that the Ivory Coast’s greatest ever striker is already entering the twilight of his career.
Like all new managers you can expect Villas-Boas to spend this summer, and it is unlikely he will prefer a 33 year-old forward to a new and exciting big money signing.
Of the strikers that are at Stamford Bridge right now, Drogba is down the depth chart and unlikely to play enough to score 10 goals this season.
Daniel Sturridge is an emerging force for Chelsea and at the age of just 22 has many more miles left on the clock than Drogba. Fernando Torres is finally showing signs of a return to form, and Chelsea are less likely to cut the string on Torres given the huge financial investment they made in him.
Nicolas Anelka is struggling this season but has scored as many goals as Drogba has, while at the wide forward spots players like Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and Juan Mata are simply in better form than the Ivorian striker.
Didier Drogba’s career in professional football may not be over just yet, but his days at Chelsea could very likely be drawing to a close.
