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Dider Drogba and Nicolas Anelka are the most feared partnership in the Premier League.But the Blues Brothers struggled to convince ex-Chelsea bosses Avram Grant, Big Phil Scolari and Guus Hiddink to play them together.However Carlo Ancelotti's arrival changed all that - and the pair have banged in 17 goals already between them this term as Chelsea have gone five points clear at the top of table.Here in a Q&A session with France Football they lift the lid on their new lease of life...Q: When Nicolas signed did you feel, Didier, you had to prove you were better?DROGBA: No. Jose Mourinho had left a few weeks earlier and Avram Grant told us we were going to change our style.
I thought 'So much for the better we will finally play two up front'. It suited me as I was starting to get tired alone up front. Grant asked me if Nicolas was a good choice I said 'Of course'. What I didn't know was that they were going to play one or the other but not the two of us together.ANELKA: Strikers know instantly if they gel or not. I immediately knew I could play around Didier. I didn't come to Chelsea to score goals but to give him the ball so he can score as much as possible.Q: When you understood it would be one or the other playing instead of together, how did it affect your relationship?DROGBA: We didn't understand why they wouldn't play us together. When Nicolas would come on during games we were lacking the automatic understanding. But far from going to war with each other to get the only place up front, we did everything to impose our partnership in attack.ANELKA: Every time we played together we did everything to show we were compatible. We needed to show it could work.DROGBA: When Guus Hiddink arrived he saw we could play well together up front. But he quickly returned to 4-3-3 and often he put Nico on the right.Q: What changed with Carlo Ancelotti's arrival?DROGBA: Ancelotti was the first who had faith in us playing together up front. We didn't even need to convince him. With him it's only the rotations that prevent us sometimes from playing together up front. We understood quickly our partnership would be part of the balance of this team.ANELKA: It's enough to look at Didier's game to know why we can play together. He has such a physical presence so all that is required of me is to move around him. I've always been more comfortable as a second striker. When I was at Liverpool that was my position. Maybe at Manchester City and Bolton I was the main striker but I've always preferred being the support striker.Credit: The Sun
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