Chelsea will not miss Didier Drogba
Drogba scored his 19th goal of the season against Fulham
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti insists his side can cope without top scorer Didier Drogba in the next few weeks.
The striker is on international duty with Ivory Coast for the African Cup of Nations, along with Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel.
Ancelotti said: “Didier has scored 19 goals but without him, this year, we’ve done very well.
“We won three games in the Champions League without him. We can do the same in the Premier League.”
Both Drogba and Kalou were given special dispensation to delay their flights to Angola, the country hosting the Cup of Nations, to play against Fulham on Monday.
Fifa regulations state the duo should have been released for international duty on 27 December but, along with midfielder John Mikel Obi, were allowed to leave two days past the deadline.
Drogba underlined his importance to Chelsea’s cause when he notched his 14th Premier League goal of the season in the 2-1 victory over Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
However, Ancelotti is confident he has enough depth in his squad to cover
“In some matches we can change the system,” said the Italian, who is also without striker Nicolas Anelka because of a muscle problem.
“We’ve played the diamond in every match but we can use our wingers in some matches. Florent Malouda or Daniel Sturridge can play. It depends on the match.”
Monday’s victory was only Chelsea’s second in eight matches as they extended their lead over second-placed Manchester United to five points.
“It was not a good December for us but that month is finished and now we look forward to January,” added Ancelotti.
“We can do better and maintain our position at the top of the table.”
Source: English Premier League Football Club, Chelsea news, Soccer Sport news at BBC Sport.