Wily Phil won’t need Drogba to put Reds in their place

David Mellor
22 Oct 2008

The first big test of Luiz Felipe Scolari's reign at the Bridge, the visit of Manchester United, failed to demonstrate the massive improvements in morale, tactics and technique the Brazilian has ushered in. Hopefully, Sunday's game against
Liverpool will do so emphatically because Chelsea are way better now than they were four weeks ago.

Chelsea fans don't like the Scousers — it's got something to do with those Champions League defeats under Jose Mourinho — and the constant chants from the red end about having no history. They get on our nerves these days even more than Spurs fans traditionally do. With Spurs, we just feel sorry for them! Chelsea have started to win well. Liverpool have the same number of points and are also unbeaten but have been riding their luck.

The Blues have conceded only three goals and rammed home 19 in the Premier League. Liverpool have shipped six and scored 13.

These stats make clear there is a difference and Sunday's game could and should rub that in, particularly if Liverpool are without the injured Fernando Torres.

Perhaps Big Phil should keep faith with those who thrashed Middlesbrough last Saturday. If Didier Drogba's fit, he may find the temptation to bring the striker back overwhelming but I hope he doesn't. Chelsea are better without him.

And Drogba hasn't endeared himself to Chelsea fans in his autobiography with his comments about wishing he had thumped Nemanja Vidic in the Champions League Final rather than merely giving him a typically petulant slap. What we wanted, Didier, was an apology for wrecking our dreams. But, of course, it didn't happen because Drogba is at root totally self-absorbed and thinks of no one but himself.

Now even former manager Jose Mourinho has admitted what we have all known for a while, that the striker is “a diver”.

It also rubs salt in my wounds to hear that guff in his book about wanting to stay at Chelsea for the rest of his career after he earlier expressed a desire to leave. The only reason he has changed his mind is because no one else wants him.

Better Drogba keeps his mouth shut and have people think he's a fool, than open it and prove it.

By the way, I'm not getting any letters from Avram Grant fans telling me how wrong I was to keep on demanding his head last season and how much better the Blues would have been with him in charge. Fancy that!

* Another week, another major refereeing cock-up.
Rob Styles was barely out of the centre circle when he awarded Manchester City a penalty at St James' Park on Monday night. At that distance and with a player across his eyeline, it was pure guesswork. How much longer do we have to tolerate such ineptitude?

Conservative Lewis can overcome Marxist threat

Karl Marx said history repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce. I hope that does not come true for Lewis Hamilton on Sunday.

Last year, he was seven points ahead going into the Brazilian Grand Prix, ended up unplaced and Kimi Raikkonen won the race, and the Formula One title, by a single point.

The same could happen this year, with Felipe Massa seven points behind. But Massa's only still in it because Raikkonen pulled over and let him take second place in China last weekend. He doesn't deserve the championship and Hamilton will deny him if, unlike last year, he drives conservatively for a place and mechanical problems don't intervene. That's a bit of history the McLaren mechanics must make sure doesn't happen again.

Hamilton needs to win for the good of F1. He is a breath of fresh air, an electric presence in a sport that is still recovering from the torpor of the Michael Schumacher years, when the outcome was all too predictable and there was more overtaking on a school run. 

They say Hamilton drives dangerously but the odd shunt in today's cars isn't that big a deal. 
And without wanting to sound too cold blooded about it, these drivers are paid millions to take a few risks and the consequence of F1 becoming too tame is that the fans will get turned off.

This sport should be the nearest modern equivalent to an old Roman chariot race, full of edge and visceral excitement. Hamilton, to his credit, has grasped that and good luck to him.

Don't put your daughter on court too soon, Mrs Robson

Laura Robson played her first WTA tour match in Luxembourg yesterday. She shouldn't have.

The girl may have taken a set off the world No42 but, at 14, she should be out of the spotlight in some overseas tennis school like Andy Murray was.
The history of tennis is littered with girls — Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis — who started too young and burnt out too soon.

Besides, what about her general education? Cara Black isn't the barmaid at your local, nor is Kirsten Flipkens next door's au pair. Both won junior Wimbledon within the last few years, as Robson did, and have never been heard of again.

Of the previous winners of the junior title, you have to go back to 1996 and Amelie Mauresmo to find a girl who graduated into a top-class adult player.

Laura, and her parents, should take care.

Bets are off

I don't know what to make of all these allegations about betting scams in football. Given it's going to be investigated by the City of London Police, I don't suppose we'll get to the truth.

However, gambling in Asia is huge, so I wouldn't be surprised if match‑fixers were out there; another reason for there to be tighter rules on ownership.

A new foreign owner with links to betting syndicates could do great damage.