Drogba an admirer of Hiddink

Didier Drogba believes he is getting back to his best form thanks to the faith shown in him by Guus Hiddink.


Drogba gave Chelsea a slender one-goal lead over Serie A giants Juventus when he pounced to convert a pass from Salomon Kalou in the 12th minute.

The Ivorian was dropped by sacked manager Luiz Felipe Scolari following Chelsea's 3-0 defeat by Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League in January.


But since Dutchman Hiddink agreed to take charge of the club on a temporary basis until the summer, Drogba has started the last two matches in his preferred central striking role.

Now Drogba has reassured Chelsea fans that he is aiming to hit the kind of form that once made him a feared European striker and paid tribute to Hiddink's confidence in him.

"You haven't lost your Drogba, he was just not playing," said Drogba.

"Being judged when you are playing is much easier (to take). (But) when you are not playing you can be criticised.

"At the moment I feel good when I'm on the pitch and I make the most of those priceless moments. I'm not at my best because I think I need more games but I'm giving what I can at the moment.

"The truth is that the coach relies on me, which is a massive psychological boost for a striker.

"Physically, I'm not ready yet, but I need to play to get back in good form. There's no sense of revenge at all, that's my game and that's it.

"I've always been like that, I try to give my maximum and sometimes it's with success. You can see from the last two games that Hiddink is working a lot on the shape of the team, the organisation, you have to respect that because we know we will have chances to score goals."