Chelsea's Mourinho: Drogba best in
world
tribalfooball.com - November 11, 2006
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho hailed Didier Drogba as the "best
striker in the world" after their 4-0 thumping of Watford.
Drogba took his tally for the season to 14 with goals in the 27th,
36th and 69th minutes and then turned provider to help strike
partner Andriy Shevchenko score Chelsea's third in the 53rd
minute.
The win, Chelsea's second four-goal haul in as many days, restored
points parity with Manchester United at the top of the Barclays
Premiership but Mourinho was full of praise for destroyer
Drogba.
He said: "There is an improvement in his game in every aspect. He
is very strong and he looks very sharp.
"He is great in the air and very strong in defensive actions. He is
at the top of his game. Now it is just a question of him staying
there for a long time.
"At the moment I don't think there is anybody better in the world
scoring or playing like him.
"He is scoring in every competition - the Premiership, the
Champions League, the Carling Cup. He is playing amazing
stuff.
"His improvement has been at every level. I don't like to use the
word unstoppable but he is great in every aspect of his game. He
attacks the ball, he dominates in the air, he holds the ball well,
he is at the top of his game. I never saw a better Drogba than
now."
While Drogba took the individual honours, Chelsea swept Watford
aside thanks to a midfield trio that gets more accomplished with
every game.
Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack were always in
control as Watford struggled to cope with a Chelsea side that never
reached top gear all afternoon.
Mourinho added: "At the moment with the way our midfield is
playing, it is easy to be a striker.
"Our midfield is playing fantastic. Watford play direct football
but they know what they are doing on the pitch.
"If you don't defend well then you are in trouble but we did very
well in that aspect.
"We scored four goals and it was quite a good game. We played very
consistent and collectively it was a good performance. It was also
a positive performance individually. I am happy with the points and
the performance."
Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd was the second manager in four days
to visit Stamford Bridge and accept his side were well
beaten.
Watford never had any firepower to trouble the champions and
Boothroyd offered no excuses.
He said: "We were not unlucky. They were far better than us on the
day and we got what we deserved.
"I thought we gave them some problems for the first half-hour. They
were panicking a bit but they are machine and ground out a
result.
"They had a purple patch in the second half and are an exceptional
team and were terrific."
Boothroyd also singled out Drogba as the "epitome of a modern-day
professional" after the Blues striker had ruined his day.
He added: "He epitomises what a professional should be. He's quick
and got everything a top player should have.
"But what makes him a true professional in my opinion is that he
was chasing down the back four in the 93rd minute. That's all you
can ask, that they give their all and he does that."
