Drogba says Chelsea need more character to stay on top

Published on Wednesday 4 November 2009 21:54

CHELSEA striker Didier Drogba hailed his side for the character they showed during their Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid but knows they will probably need to dig even deeper when they take on Manchester United at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

Chelsea had looked in danger of suffering their first defeat in this year's Champions League as well as missing an early chance to book their place in the last 16 of the competition after trailing 1-0 to Atletico heading into the final ten minutes of Tuesday's clash at the Vicente Calderon.

But Drogba turned the game on its head with goals in the 82nd and 88th minutes to put Chelsea in charge and those strikes proved crucial in helping the Blues secure a berth in the knockout stages, even though Atletico managed to sneak a 2-2 draw thanks to Sergio Aguero's injury-time free-kick.

Drogba praised his team-mates for the way they responded to going behind to Aguero's 66th-minute opener – the first goal Chelsea have conceded in Europe this term and first in any competition in five games – and he believes they will need to show at the very least more of the same for Sunday's table-topping Premier League showdown with United.

"It was difficult because Atletico needed to win, they gave everything. But getting through is the main thing. We controlled the game and maybe we could have played better, but it was a difficult game," said Drogba, who has now netted 12 times in all competitions this season despite missing Chelsea's opening three Champions League games through suspension. "More than the goals we've scored, it's the character of the team we showed. At 1-0 down we kept playing and we tried to come back stronger, and that's good. We need character (against United), it's going to be another fantastic game, maybe with more intensity and a different chip (style of play). We have to be better (than against Atletico Madrid]."

Chelsea have been virtually impregnable at their Stamford Bridge fortress as well, winning all nine of their domestic and European fixtures at home whilst scoring 25 goals – of which 13 have come in the last three games – and conceding only one in the process.