Empics

Didier Drogba: Things could be better

It has been a season to forget so far for Drogba with injury, poor form and suspension seeing him fall out of favour with Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, a fact which many Blues fans feel has contributed to the club's recent string of disappointing results.

Scolari left Drogba out of the starting line-up for Saturday's 0-0 home draw with Hull City and when the Brazilian coach decided to introduce the Ivory Coast striker in place of Ricardo Quaresma sections of an increasingly disillusioned Stamford Bridge taunted Scolari with calls of 'You don't know what you're doing'.

Being held to a goalless draw at home by Hull - a team in terrible form (only Portsmouth and Middlesbrough are on worse runs) - coupled with other results over the weekend has seen Chelsea slip to fourth in the Premier League table, seven points behind leaders Manchester United who have game in hand all-but ending the club's title ambitions.

However, despite their current form and the current standings Drogba is confident both he and the west London outfit will overcome their current troubles.

''It's a little difficult at the moment, but we will find ways to return,'' the 30-year-old toldL'Equipe. ''I hope in the Champions League we will do well. You can't have a 10-year career where everything is great. I am in a period like that - a little less good.

''Is this difficult to experience? If I say no, people will say I am not ambitious. If I say yes, people will think I am demoralised when it is really not the case.

''It is not easy but it is not the end of the world. The main thing is that I am in good health physically.''

The striker, who stopped off in France en route to linking-up with his Ivory Coast team-mates ahead of Wednesday's friendly international away to Turkey, played down talk he could be interested in a return to Olympique Marseille, the club he left to join Chelsea in 2004.

''Nino (Sylvain Wiltord) is there and Brandao has just arrived. Let's trust these people rather than talk about Drogba,'' he said after watching his former team beat Bordeaux 1-0 at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday night.