League leaders should be able to stay on top without Drogba

Didier Drogba has notched 14 goals in the English Premier League this season so his absence will clearly be felt by Chelsea.

However, when it comes to points, Drogba’s goals have only earned 8 points for his team. As always with statistics, this is not the full story when it comes to judging a players worth. Drogba can also provide assists and bring others into the game.

When you consider the strikes on goal that Chelsea get from their midfielders, the influence of Drogba has a lot to do with him holding up the play and laying it back for a strike on goal.

The style of Carlo Ancelotti has hampered Frank Lampard’s goal getting ability, another reason for some of the dropped points Chelsea have suffered this season.

The loss of Drogba may be felt more strongly because of injury robbing Nicolas Anelka from the Chelsea first team. The absence of one or the other would not be so bad but if the two of them are unavailable, it becomes more difficult for any club, especially one with a lack of alternative strikers.

The table below indicates the goals that Droba has scored this season and the impact they have had on the final result (click to see full size).

One thing that Chelsea may take comfort from is that, on paper, the fixture list for January is not too daunting. Admittedly, on current form, anyone can cause Chelsea problems but a team challenging for the title should not be too concerned about the following run of games.

Sat 9th Jan – away to Hull
Sat 16th Jan – home v Sunderland
Wed 27th Jan – home v Birmingham
Sat 30th Jan – away to Burnley

Drogba should be back in time for the home game versus Arsenal on 7th February.

How badly do you think Chelsea will miss Drogba?

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