PASSION: Lampard has backed Drogba
Friday May 8,2009
FRANK LAMPARD has launched a broadside at the
critics who attacked Didier Drogba for his post-match rant at
referee Tom Henning Ovrebo and said he would be proud to play
alongside a man with such passion – if he stays at the
club.
Chelsea are still reeling from the shock of their
Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Barcelona on
Wednesday night, their agony intensified by the fact their dream
ended in the third minute of injury-time with Andres Iniesta’s goal
– Barcelona’s only shot on target .
Pep Guardiola’s Barca team progressed on the away goals
rule to face Manchester United in the final in Rome on May 27, as
Iniesta’s heartbreaking goal cancelled out Michael Essien’s superb
early strike.
But it is the scenes after the game which could hurt
Chelsea just as much as what went on during it. Drogba, substituted
before the end, raced back on to the pitch at the final whistle to
confront referee Ovrebo and harangued him as he left the pitch and
down the tunnel.
He and Michael Ballack, who also hounded Ovrebo, could
now face European bans – and it is understood Chelsea could be
willing to listen to offers for Drogba this summer because of that
potential ban and his age.
But Lampard remains staunchly behind Drogba, 31, and
has defended his actions.
Lampard, whose team have now lost five out of their six
Champions League semi-finals, said: “I can understand Didier’s
reactions. He’s an emotional man. But that’s the sort of player you
want to play with. People can relate to that.
“All the fans in the stadium were frustrated at the
end. We were trying to get to the final and Didier wanted to get to
the final. When that gets taken away you get passionate.
“We deserved to go through . Barcelona were very strong
in the Nou Camp. We defended, worked hard out there, but we
deserved to win this second leg.
“We could have scored more goals and we had at least
three blatant penalties turned down. Everyone who saw it can see
that, when there’s that many blatant penalties and they’re not
given, they can understand our sense of injustice.
“I don’t know what people expect. When you have 11
grown men battling to get to the final and at least three penalty
decisions don’t go your way, you can’t expect men to walk away
quietly. There was nothing violent, it was just angry, because we
had worked so very hard to get that far.”
Skipper John Terry and Lampard also confronted Ovrebo
at the end, but it was Drogba who had to be dragged away, swearing
at television cameras as he went.
Ovrebo refused at least three legitimate appeals, for
fouls on Florent Malouda and Drogba and a handball by Gerard Pique,
plus a more questionable call on a handball by Samuel Eto’o.
Lampard said: “I tried to ask the question of the
referee. One decision maybe you don’t get, two maybe, but three,
four or five then it’s just not possible that you don’t get
them.
“Whether it’s a conspiracy or not is not for me to say.
That’s for others. But you have to wonder why. The referee didn’t
say anything. He didn’t explain, but then I don’t think it’s
explainable. I think if he looks again then he will realise.
“The Pique handball was as blatant a penalty as you
will ever see. The linesman was right in line, the ref was very
close.”
Lampard had spoken before about Chelsea being cursed
never to win the Champions League after so many near misses – they
were beaten in a penalty shoot-out in the final by United last year
– but he said: “I don’t think it’s a curse but one day hopefully
we’ll get that little bit of luck and go on and win it.
“Everyone knows what we felt after last year’s final.
Credit to Barcelona, they are a great team and it will be a great
final, probably the final a lot of people wanted to see against
United.
“There was a lot said in our dressing room, but I can’t
repeat it. It wasn’t just frustration with the referee. They scored
in the last minute and we were going through at that stage, so that
was frustrating for us.
“We had chances to kill the game, even after you take
the penalties out of it. We played a very strong game. You know
they are going to have possession but I don’t remember them getting
behind us, whereas we created a number of chances.
“I was worried when the decisions were not being given
because you know the more that happens the more chance there is
that Barcelona can come back and hurt you.”
Chelsea now have to pick themselves up, firstly for
Sunday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal at the Emirates , then
for the FA Cup final against Everton at Wembley on May 30 – their
only remaining chance of silverware this season.
Lampard added: “ This has been so disappointing, but
we’re footballers and we carry on. The FA Cup matters a lot and we
want to win it, we’d not have taken our eye off the ball on that
whatever happened.”‘I can understand Didier’s reaction’