Drogba - How can he regain form ?

Drop him for a half next game, take him on the 2nd half - it worked against spuds.

Play with wingers and give him better service.

I'm sticking with my gut feeling that playing him into form is our best hope, I think yesterday was a difficult game for any striker in that system and can be discounted when looking at his form and Sunderland although he got some abuse on here I don't think he was too bad.

I believe our main hope of doing well in the CL is getting him and Torres to form a partnership and I'd risk keeping starting him.

I think once they get used to each other they could be a formiddable strike force.

Yesterday Drogba put Torres through for what could easily have been his first Goal and later in the game Drogba headed a ball down in the area to where someone should have been, if they get used to each others game in time there is still a lot to play for.

Of course the risk is Drogs plays out the season in the same lethargic way and everyone believes had he been left out whoever replaced him would have shone...I'll stick to my theory.

I'm sticking with my gut feeling that playing him into form is our best hope

I would have bet my house on that one! :D

To be honest, I wouldn't single Drogba out for yesterday. The whole team was shocking and as I said elsewhere, I think our problems stem from a complete lack of creativity in midfield. I think a certain 17 year old would have embarrassed our three senior midfielders by not giving the ball away as much as the three of them out togather. The game was crying out for someone who could retain possession but at the same time look to play it into the forwards feet.

That said, I really don't think the way forward is playing all three of Drogba, Anelka & Torres. Might work in some games but the balance just doesn't look right.

Loan him to Marseille on 5 grand a week

I would have bet my house on that one! :D

To be honest, I wouldn't single Drogba out for yesterday. The whole team was shocking and as I said elsewhere, I think our problems stem from a complete lack of creativity in midfield. I think a certain 17 year old would have embarrassed our three senior midfielders by not giving the ball away as much as the three of them out togather. The game was crying out for someone who could retain possession but at the same time look to play it into the forwards feet.

That said, I really don't think the way forward is playing all three of Drogba, Anelka & Torres. Might work in some games but the balance just doesn't look right.

You know me and I'd have bet my House you'd have got Josh into the Drogba thread somehow

I think we missed Ramires yesterday and after watching how slow the Midfield looked without him I was hoping to see Josh and almost using a reason I hate to see "he couldn't do any worse" but that would be unfair on myself and Josh as I really think he could have done a better Job than any of the three we had out there yesterday.

Lamps is a strange case for me as he looked to be coming back to full sharpness against Sunderland but just couldn't get into the game yesterday and I think much like Drogba we do need to get him buzzing to push on this season.

Essien is another matter as we have done ok for long periods without him before and his place is really looking under threat, Ramires for me is nailed on when fit after his recent performances but fitting Josh in is getting harder for the Manager as trying to accomodate the three strikers and Maluda is going to see him get less time from the bench which is a shame as he really has shown enough every time hes been called on to prove he is worthy of concideration even in this company.

If he's not performing, he should be dropped, just as the same should happen to any other player.

On the basis of performances over the last few months, the following players should be dropped for the next game:

Essien

Mikel

Drogba

Malouda

In in their place should come:

Ramires - Started badly, but has improved greatly recently

McEachran - Impresses every time he plays, has some creativity, which is one thing we are sorely missing

Torres - Should start on his own up front in place of Drogba

Kalou - As much as I dislike him, he's been a bit better the last few weeks and deserves a start

Of course I'd put Sturridge in there as well if we hadn't loaned him out :/

Additionally, players like Bosingwa, Lampard, Anelka need to up their game, as they have been disappointing more often than not.

So that starting 11 should be:

Edited February 7, 201115 yr by BlueSkies

I think talk of his bad form is a bit overdone. I think he is just fine personally. He is not seeing much of the ball to be criticized. If he was getting chances and not burying them I would agree. But the service to Drogba has not been there. Yesterday there was no service to anyone up front let alone Drogba.

Chelsea needs to improve as a team around Drogba. Taking him out of the equation isn't the solution for me.

I think talk of his bad form is a bit overdone. I think he is just fine personally. He is not seeing much of the ball to be criticized. If he was getting chances and not burying them I would agree. But the service to Drogba has not been there. Yesterday there was no service to anyone up front let alone Drogba.

Chelsea needs to improve as a team around Drogba. Taking him out of the equation isn't the solution for me.

But he doesnt even venture into the box much to get on the end of anything. He is clearly not right in some way, you cant be watching him that much when he plays, honestly go and watch the match again, he just doesnt look himself at all, probably playing at about 50% of his usual self.

If he's not performing, he should be dropped, just as the same should happen to any other player.

On the basis of performances over the last few months, the following players should be dropped for the next game:

Essien

Mikel

Drogba

Malouda

In in their place should come:

Ramires - Started badly, but has improved greatly recently

McEachran - Impresses every time he plays, has some creativity, which is one thing we are sorely missing

Torres - Should start on his own up front in place of Drogba

Kalou - As much as I dislike him, he's been a bit better the last few weeks and deserves a start

Of course I'd put Sturridge in there as well if we hadn't loaned him out :/

Additionally, players like Bosingwa, Lampard, Anelka need to up their game, as they have been disappointing more often than not.

Don't you think its a possibility that with all the players you mention should be dropped or need to up there game it makes it difficult for our strikers be that Drogba,.Torres or Kalou to impress?

They can't feed off scraps and admittedly Drogba is not in form but if he got better service other than just recieving the ball long with his back to Goal he would have some chance to regain form and confidence.

If Sturridge hadn't have been loaned out he would be watching from the bench and learning nothing, Bolton is a good place to get experience he wont get hoping to get in our first eleven in front of Drogba Torres or Anelka on the strength of some good performances against lower opposition.

Anelka was brilliant against Sunderland and done ok in a formation that was being stifled against Liverpool and fully deserves his place.

In my view the only players who have improved are Ramires and Ivanovic, (discounting yesterday) and JT, Anelka, Kalou have been what we have come to expect, the players who need to find form are Essien, Mikel, Drogba, Maluda, and Bosingwa. I'd say maybe Ash has slipped a touch from his best but that would maybe be harsh. fringe players like Ferriera is again decent back up and no more.

On those observations we have three players playing the way we've come to expect, one defender one substitute striker and one striker. so one improving midfielder (who never played yeasterday) and one improving defender who we now might shift out to the right to allow a new signing to slot in and to demote an out of sorts Bosingwa to the bench.

None of this (5 players in reasonable form) make it easy for the strikers to regain form and I don't feel the blame should rest so much on non performing strikers as its impossible to judge them fairly on the service they are getting.

Don't you think its a possibility that with all the players you mention should be dropped or need to up there game it makes it difficult for our strikers be that Drogba,.Torres or Kalou to impress?

They can't feed off scraps and admittedly Drogba is not in form but if he got better service other than just recieving the ball long with his back to Goal he would have some chance to regain form and confidence.

If Sturridge hadn't have been loaned out he would be watching from the bench and learning nothing, Bolton is a good place to get experience he wont get hoping to get in our first eleven in front of Drogba Torres or Anelka on the strength of some good performances against lower opposition.

Anelka was brilliant against Sunderland and done ok in a formation that was being stifled against Liverpool and fully deserves his place.

In my view the only players who have improved are Ramires and Ivanovic, (discounting yesterday) and JT, Anelka, Kalou have been what we have come to expect, the players who need to find form are Essien, Mikel, Drogba, Maluda, and Bosingwa. I'd say maybe Ash has slipped a touch from his best but that would maybe be harsh. fringe players like Ferriera is again decent back up and no more.

On those observations we have three players playing the way we've come to expect, one defender one substitute striker and one striker. so one improving midfielder (who never played yeasterday) and one improving defender who we now might shift out to the right to allow a new signing to slot in and to demote an out of sorts Bosingwa to the bench.

None of this (5 players in reasonable form) make it easy for the strikers to regain form and I don't feel the blame should rest so much on non performing strikers as its impossible to judge them fairly on the service they are getting.

No.

No.

Did you only read the first three words of my post?

No.

Did you only read the first three words of my post?

Did you only read the first three words of my post?

I read it all, but I don't have time to write an essay-style response at the moment.

Well playing him into form hasn't worked. Try something else and don't play him at all.

Well playing him into form hasn't worked. Try something else and don't play him at all.

Yeah and do that with the rest of the out of form players we've got...there must be a five a side tournament we could enter :lol:

Yeah and do that with the rest of the out of form players we've got...there must be a five a side tournament we could enter :lol:

But we have shedloads of teenagers we could play! Come on Chipster, keep up :)

Yeah and do that with the rest of the out of form players we've got...there must be a five a side tournament we could enter :lol:

True. If we would take away all the players who are out of form we would have a very, very thin squad and no manager as well.

I would go with this team vs Fulham, although don't think Carlo will.

Cech

Ivan, Luiz, JT, Ash

Ramires, Josh, Lampard

Anelka, Torres, Malouda

Realistically Carlo might play the team, but with Essien instead of Josh. Drogba needs a rocket up his arse at the moment, along with Mikel, Essien & to a certain extent Malouda (although he has already been dropped).

Yeah and do that with the rest of the out of form players we've got...there must be a five a side tournament we could enter :lol:

The mods should try to recruit him for the Shed End 'latics

Give him 2 weeks off to rest and relax, come back on fire in time for our big games!!

drop him to the bench for a couple of games bring him on with 35 or so mins to go he'll be pissed off and thats when he's a danger and we see the best out of him.

The thing is with the drop him for a couple of games idea for me for that to be an answer you have to believe his problem is lack of motivation...I think its a general lack of form and fitness after the Malaria which is why I would keep him in the team.

If it was a motivation thing he wouldn't be playing games like he did against Bolton, the Goal he scored there was superb and a player lacking motivation in my opinion wouldn't be scoring goals like that, he had a pretty decent game all round on that occasion but still looked a yard off the pace.

I would be as quick as anybody else to drop any player who was not interested enough and I was all for it when Scolari dropped him in his time here because I really thought he just didn't want to play for the Manager, that in my opinion was a good decision and did pay dividends as he only came back for I think a game and a half under Phil but played well, then Hiddink came in and Drogba was back to his best.

This time though I believe he needs games and just as importantly the team needs Drogba at as near as possible to his best, I might be wrong but two or three games on the bench could turn an out of form player who with the support of his Manager is trying to get back to his best dreaming of another shot at a CL winners Medal into an out of form player who without his Managers support is more interested in whats on his Ipod and what the weather will be like next year in France.

Edited February 7, 201115 yr by Chippy

But would it not be an idea to start Torres instead of Drogba, with maybe Drogba coming off the bench at some stage, or even vice versa. If Drogba needs games, then an entire game may be a little too much of a risk if he's not fully fit. I mean as a risk in lack of contribution to the team rather than a risk to his fitness.