Didier Drogba is hoping to beat Fernando Torres in
the Premier League scoring charts this season after being hailed as
the best striker in the world by Chelsea team-mate Frank
Lampard.
Drogba netted his ninth league goal of the season in the 4-0
demolition of 10-man Bolton on Saturday but he remains one behind
Torres after the Liverpool striker also found the target against
Fulham.
The Ivorian's best campaign to date has been 2006/7, when he won
the Golden Boot with 20 league goals and ended with 33 in all
competitions.
He is determined to beat that tally this time round and thinks
the rivalry with Torres will spur him on to achieve greater
success.
"It's nice to have this competition with Torres to finish top
scorer. It's always a good challenge to be part of," Drogba told
the Evening Standard. "Three seasons ago I was in a race
against Benni McCarthy and Cristiano Ronaldo and I managed to come
out on top.
"It's a big challenge for me to finish ahead of Torres this
season and gives me the desire to do more for my team."
Drogba insists it is more important for the team to do well and
he is confident his partnership with Nicolas Anelka will continue
to pay dividends. "I really feel good about the way the season is
going for Chelsea. The key thing is we are playing with two
strikers up front and I have a lot of support," he said.
"The way we pass the ball is really good, we have really
improved and that is what has made the difference. "I would like to
beat my best-ever total for Chelsea of 33 goals but it's a target
as long as we keep winning games, stay top of the league and win
the title at the end of the season."
Drogba's magnificent start to the season has prompted Lampard to
declare that he is the finest centre-forward on the planet.
The Blues midfielder believes Drogba has more strings to his bow
than any of his rivals for the golden boot, including Torres
"Who knows who will score more? They are both top strikers but,
for me, Didier is the best in the world because of his all-round
game and the form he is in," said Lampard.
"Everyone talks about his power but maybe they don't give him
the credit he deserves for his finishing. His finishing at times is
different class, with his head or with his foot. He is the best
striker I have ever played with.
"The thing about Didier is he's a very unselfish player. A lot
of things get said about him but one thing we know in the camp is
he gives everything for the team.
"He's had a lot of assists this year, which just shows he's not
just interested in scoring goals, he's interested in working hard
for the team, heading balls out of his own box. That's the beauty
of him."
