Drogba ruled out of Genk trip
Reuters - Monday 31 October 2011, 19:49
Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba will
miss Chelsea's Champions League game at Racing Genk on Tuesday
after having surgery on his arm.
"The international break [next week] has led to the
opportunity being taken to remove some metalwork from his arm,"
the club said on their website on Monday.
"That was left over from a bone break prior to the 2010
World Cup and he should be ready to rejoin training when his
colleagues go away with their nations."
Drogba's fellow striker Nicolas Anelka is back in the squad
for the game against Genk in Belgium after missing Saturday's
embarrassing 5-3 home defeat by Arsenal through injury but
midfielder John Obi Mikel is rested.
Manager Andre Villas-Boas denied media reports he gave his
team a dressing down and ordered extra training the day after
the Arsenal match.
"There was no kind of rant and no extra work -- it was a
conversation between people," said the Portuguese. "It is not my
leadership style to shout and my management is always two-way
management.
"The players are encouraged to give their opinion because
they are the ones that take their talent on to the pitch."
Saturday's defeat was the second in a row for Chelsea in the
Premier League, after losing 1-0 at Queens Park Rangers the
previous Sunday, and Villas-Boas acknowledged it had been a
particularly difficult week.
"Our progress was stopped disastrously with two defeats in
the league but it doesn't mean our philosophy is wrong and we
are not on the right track," he said.
"It doesn't mean our castle fell down but we have to
recover. There is no running away from our responsibilities...
we know things are not right when you concede five goals at home
and we have to address that."
Defender Branislav Ivanovic said the Chelsea players were
still fuming about their performance against Arsenal.
"The whole team is angry and we have to show the reaction
and our character, to change things," said the 27-year-old
Serbian international. "It was a big derby and when you lose you
cannot be happy.
"As a defender I can never be happy with conceding five
goals. The good part is we know where we made mistakes and we
can try everything to make sure it does not happen again.
"Words don't need to be [spoken]. Every one of us has to
look in the mirror, to be honest with how we played
defensively," added Ivanovic.
Chelsea are looking to do the 'double' over Genk after
crushing the Belgians 5-0 at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago.
The Londoners are top of Group E with seven points from
three games, one ahead of Bayer Leverkusen. Valencia are third
with two points and Genk are bottom with one.