Drogba still the bully in the box

Published Oct 27, 2014

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London - When the celebrations had finally subsided and Didier Drogba was dragged off his knees, he raised his hand in the direction of Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea’s manager was standing on the edge of the technical area to acknowledge a job well done. That’s what tactics are for.

For all the talk of formations - 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, whatever - nothing beats a big man bullying a little man at a set-piece. Drogba, one of the best headers of the ball, versus Rafael at a corner to be supplied by the king of the assists, Cesc Fabregas? It wasn’t a fair fight.

They picked on Rafael, leaving Drogba to score one of the best headers of his glorious Chelsea career. The Ivory Coast forward can do no wrong again.

Rafael will be made the scapegoat because Chelsea’s manager pinpointed a weakness and highlighted it when Drogba was drafted into the team at short notice.

The goal was a beauty, played out on one of the biggest stages of all. Theatre of Dreams? Drogba is living the dream again.

To think that at the age of 36 he could start and finish a game of this magnitude. This is Manchester United, not Maribor.

He bullied Louis van Gaal’s defence, rising to the occasion after Diego Costa and Loic Remy were deemed unfit. Drogba was in his element here.

‘Rafael is one of the best defenders, but he lacks height,’ admitted Van Gaal. ‘It was a communication problem. I have said that many times because in England everyone is big and our players are much smaller than our opponents.’

What a performance by Drogba, even if the gloss was taken off it by Robin van Persie’s sensational injury-time equaliser for United.

To come to Old Trafford, just over two years after he announced his tearful farewell in the lobby of the Chelsea Health Club and Spa at Stamford Bridge, and play like this is extraordinary.

‘It is not fair on my other players, but he was fantastic,’ declared Mourinho.

Drogba has only just returned to training and yet it has been another fulfilling week in this man’s remarkable career.

On Tuesday, when Chelsea played Maribor in a routine Champions League group game at the Bridge, there was next to no chance of him starting here.

That all changed when Remy, who injured his groin just before he scored against the Slovenians, was forced to come off midway through the first half.

Enter Drogba, scoring from the penalty spot after getting Eden Hazard’s permission to take it and adding another here at Old Trafford. ‘He has only trained for one week since his injury, so I am happy with everything he did,’ added Mourinho. ‘If I talked about only Drogba I would have to start from Courtois and go all the way through the team. I am so happy, that is the only thing I can say.’

Drogba’s goal took us back to a time when he was the main man in the Chelsea team, when they won two Barclays Premier League titles under Mourinho.

He stuck around for one more before he finally landed the big one - the Champions League - on that giddy night inside the Allianz Arena in May 2012.

He has been globetrotting since, with spells at Shanghai Shenhua and Galatasaray, but everybody knows Chelsea really is his home.

When he scored the opener last night he immediately set off to celebrate in front of the travelling Chelsea supporters.

To them he is a legend, a model professional, who has extended his career so that he will still be playing when he turns 37 in March.

By then he will be close to celebrating another special title.

@neilashton_

Daily Mail

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