Anelka happy to supply

Blues striker is happy to assist just as much as scoring himself

By Patrick Haond   Last updated: 10th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Anelka happy to supply

Anelka: Enjoying Drogba partnership

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Nicolas Anelka has highlighted that supplying Didier Drogba with goals gives him as much pleasure as finding the back of the net himself.

The Chelsea striking duo have excelled this season having been given license to play alongside each other by manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Anelka has scored just five goals from 18 games in all competitions this term while Drogba has been on fire claiming 12 strikes in his 15 outings.

The Frenchman believes his partnership with Drogba is one of the best of his career while the frontman adds that playing alongside the Ivory Coast international allows him to play in his favoured deeper playmaker role.

"Immediately I could imagine myself running around Didier," he told France Football.

"I didn't come to Chelsea to only score goals and acting like a star, but rather to give him passes for him to score as many goals as possible.

"I like to play in such a situation, it reminds me of Liverpool with Emile Heskey. I was not scared to play for him or Michael Owen for them to score. It is the same with Didier.

"You have fun playing with those guys. I already knew that with Dennis Bergkamp at Arsenal. We could play together [with our] eyes closed. It was the same with Shaun Goater at Manchester City too.

"I have always said it, my real position is not centre forward but second forward or playmaker. All my coaches tried to play me alone in attack as they saw me scoring goals at Arsenal after long runs.

"But I repeat I feel much more at ease a little backward, just like Bergkamp at Arsenal."

No competition

Drogba insists that the duo always knew they could play alongside each other and remained close friends despite having to compete for just one striking position under previous managers Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink.

"Rather than starting a war between us for the only position in attack, we always did our best to impose our partnership," he stated.

"We both had great faith in it. Ancelotti has been the first to trust us in attack. We didn't need to convince him, he really wanted it. We quickly felt that partnership would be part of the balance of that team.

"Ancelotti has started something at Chelsea and we are lucky to both be a part of it. [The partnership] is instinctive. We think about the same piece of football at the same moment.

"I have to admit it is much more comfortable for me to play beside Nico in attack. I am less tired after the encounters. Sometimes I am even surprised after the end of a game, 'what happens? I am not exhausted'.

"I believe we never felt in competition with Nico, but rather saw ourselves as team-mates. Maybe that is the secret."