Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari says that trying to turn Nicolas Anelka and Dider Drogba into a strike pairing was his biggest issue during his short spell at Stamford Bridge.
Scolari was appointed by the Blues in the summer of 2008 to take over from Avram Grant. He says having two strikers of the quality of Anelka and Drogba became a barrier for him.
He told the Guardian, “I tried to adapt so that Drogba and Anelka could play together. Anelka was the top scorer in the league. We had a meeting and Anelka said: ‘I only play in one position.’
“So, there was a bit of a lack of friendship, of respect, of trying to play together with Drogba. They were both great, but someone had to do something different, to get back to help when we lost the ball.
“That was when it changed a bit. But we’ve met since then, me and Drogba. The last time was in Russia in 2018.
“We spoke openly about it. There wasn’t any ill intention from him or Anelka. But it happened and I lost out on one of the great chances of my life.”
