Drogba: Foul-mouthed rant
John Terry has defended Didier Drogba's infamous outburst after the Barcelona defeat last season - saying it was driven by his passion for Chelsea.
Drogba was watched by millions delivering a foul-mouthed rant at the referee after the Blues had conceded a last-gasp goal which sent them crashing out of the UEFA Champions League.
While Drogba's antics caused dismay amongst many, Terry has a different view of the striker's outburst.
The Chelsea skipper told the News of the World: "Didier loves this club and when we lose a game there is no-one more disappointed than him.
"He shows his anger and frustration.
"People look at when he lost his rag after the game against Barcelona - it's because he cares about the club.
"From a Chelsea point of view, I love the way Didier reacted there."
Terry believes Drogba's contribution has been vital to Chelsea's successful start to the season and concedes the Blues will miss the Ivorian when he goes off to play in the African Cup of Nations in January.
The Blues skipper added: "He is in great from.
"Apart from his goals, he does an awful lot for the team. He holds the ball and brings it down and his build-up play is second to none.
"For me, he is one of the best and most difficult strikers to play against in the world.
"There have been times when he has played well and the goals haven't come and vice versa.
"But at the moment he is playing well and scoring goals, too.
"Obviously, we are going to miss him when he goes away after Christmas."

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Comments (4)
Matt Croft (Southend United fan) says...
Once again, a fantastic attitude displayed by the England captain. Its ok to launch a foul mouthed triade straight into a tv camera, and therefore directly at millions of viewers, many of them children, because it was done out of passion? It was done out of arrogance, petulance and bad sportsmanship. Yet far be it for John Terry, or Chelsea in general for that matter, to condemn it or accept any blame. Typical. I can only hope that the majority of fans are as disgusted as I am. Drogba and Terry may be great players but they are both despicable individuals as far as Im concerned.
Posted 14:20 8th November 2009
Sujit Paudel (Liverpool fan) says...
Although I support Liverpool, i accept the fact that Drogba is a very very good player..
Posted 14:18 8th November 2009
Alex Hancock (Port Vale fan) says...
i'm not chelsea's biggest fan but i thought it was refreshing to see such passion from a player i would like to more passion in football maybe he shouldn't of swore but most normal people would have acted the same as drogba with bad calls the ref made (that was the worst display from a ref i have ever seen in the champions league)
Posted 13:24 8th November 2009
Ian Ian (Liverpool fan) says...
I agree drogba is a good footballer, but when he calls the ref a cheat in the game against barcelona. He wants to look at his own game, how many times has he cheated the refs in the premiership, cracking on hes been fouled. If he plays today im sure well see more of the same.
Posted 13:08 8th November 2009