Ancelotti - We'll handle loss of Drogba - 7M sport

Ancelotti - We'll handle loss of Drogba

Posted Sunday, September 20, 2009 by PA

Coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Chelsea can cope without star striker Didier Drogba even if his calf injury sidelines him for a long time.

The Ivory Coast international was carried off in the 83rd minute of Chelsea's 3-0 Barclays Premier League victory over Tottenham today.

Drogba had already made and scored one of Chelsea's goals before he had to be substituted.

The victory earned Chelsea a new club record of 11 straight wins, better than the one forged by Jose Mourinho, but Ancelotti was more concerned with the condition of his top striker.

Drogba has now scored five goals and was unplayable against Spurs and while the Italian is hoping the injury is nothing more than cramp, he believes they have enough in reserve to cope without him.

"We don't know precisely what happened," said Ancelotti. "It is too early. We will have to wait a few days. We hope it is only cramp.

"We hope tomorrow we will have a precise diagnosis of the situation. It is a calf injury but he felt that he had cramp. If it is cramp, it is good for us.

"We have played without Didier before. He is a very important player for us, a fantastic player. I think we can play well without Didier.

"In the last game against Porto we won without Didier and we have Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou, we have Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini.

"Borini is a young player and we are pleased he came on for his first game in the Premier League. We have a very good academy and we want to take a young player into the first team.

"All the players did a very good job. The match was easy in the second half. If you don't do a good job on the pitch against Tottenham you cannot win 3-0.

"We need to maintain the mental attitude and win our next game against QPR in the Carling Cup on Wednesday.

"Our next game will not be easy. We do not think about records, only wining the next game."

Boss Harry Redknapp insisted Tottenham crashed to defeat because two major incidents proved costly for his side.

Redknapp was unhappy with referee Howard Webb for not awarding his side a penalty when Robbie Keane was felled by Ricardo Carvalho and the second turning point occurred when centre-half Ledley King was forced out of the game with a hamstring injury.

Webb awarded Manchester United a dubious penalty against Spurs last season and Redknapp is clearly unhappy with the official.

"It was a nailed on penalty but he (Keane) tried to stay up," said Redknapp. "They don't want people diving, but if he felt he dived, why didn't he give him a yellow or a red card?

"It's either a penalty or a red card. We had a diabolical penalty decision at Old Trafford last season when we were 2-0 up and he gave it. He apologised for that.

"We were much the better team for the first half-hour and gave them all kinds of problems, but Ledley going off was a big turning point.

"Once we lost Ledley there was no way we could deal with Didier Drogba.

"In the first half-hour I was delighted and, at half-time, I thought we could win it.

"Then the penalty. If Robbie goes down with the first contact, it's a penalty.

"He was too honest. If he goes over, it's a penalty. If the referee doesn't feel it's a penalty and it's a dive, he should send him off. It's got to be one or the other, not nothing.

"He apologised after Old Trafford last year. But, given all the talk there's been about diving, he's tried to stay on his feet. I think it plays on people's minds.

"They're scared that if they go down they're going to get a card. I don't want to see people diving if they've not been touched.

"I think he lost his balance. He (Carvalho) has caught him and Robbie's tried to stay on his feet. I suppose it was a sending off for Carvalho too."

Redknapp's problems were compounded by a head injury to Sebastien Bassong. He was stretchered off late in the second half and with Michael Dawson and Jonathan Woodgate still unfit, Redknapp faces a real crisis.

King does not train in the week because of a long-standing knee problem and Redknapp added: "I've suddenly lost three of my best centre-halves.

"Ledley has done his hamstring. He's the most fantastic person and player, and he's so important for us, but if you don't train you can't just go out and play without doing hamstrings, groins or calves.

"Bassong doesn't look too good, either. He got a bang on the head and his eye's all swollen up. It doesn't look too clever at all. I think the doctor has taken him to hospital with concussion.

"Woodgate's nowhere near playing again. He went to see a specialist again and he just can't train.

"We haven't got to the bottom of the injury at all, what's causing him discomfort. Dawson has a chance, he's the one.

"Jonathan had an operation last season and he's come back no better.

"The penalty decision, Ledley going off, they were the turning points. We defended abysmally for the second goal but we couldn't handle Drogba.

"I said to Kevin Bond as soon as Ledley went that I knew we couldn't handle him. He'd bully us. He was too strong."

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