MONTREAL – Didier Drogba is fully focused on his debut.
In the lead-up to his first game in MLS, this Saturday against the Philadelphia Union at Stade Saputo (8 pm ET; MLS LIVE), Drogba chose not to speak to the media until further notice. Drogba, a club spokesperson told the media on Thursday morning, wants to direct all of his efforts toward the game and his return to fitness.
But that doesn’t mean that Drogba simply turned up and somehow worked his way to 90-minute fitness in a mere three weeks. Head coach Frank Klopas thus said on Friday that Drogba would “come off and play” against Philadelphia, without confirming how many minutes Drogba could give his new team on his debut.
“He’ll be available to play,” Klopas told reporters on Friday. “This was the plan all along. I think we have to be smart, also, with him, bring him along. We don’t want to have any setbacks. You’ve seen guys that have been rushed in. The other day, I saw [Chicago Fire’s] Gilberto come in, a guy that’s been off, and in the first 10 minutes, he gets hit. That can happen in a game, and he’s out.”
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As for Drogba, outside of a knock that the Impact medical staff quickly treated on Wednesday morning, he has looked sharp as ever. The shot is as powerful as in the coffee-fuelled memories of watching him with Chelsea on Saturday mornings. His ability to pick crosses out of the air and slam them past the goalkeeper is frustratingly good.
“He’s just very smooth on the ball,” goalkeeper Evan Bush told reporters on Thursday. “A lot of guys can hit the ball hard, but he hits the ball hard, and he puts it where he wants to put it. You add those two things together, and you see why he’s been world-class for the last decade or so.”
But who will feed Drogba the ball? Drogba’s fellow Designated Player, Ignacio Piatti, is “most likely” out for this Saturday with a calf contusion, Klopas said on Thursday.
Piatti also missed the Impact’s last game, a 2-2 draw with Vancouver in the Amway Canadian Championship on August 12. Johan Venegas took Piatti’s usual spot behind Dominic Oduro, with Maxim Tissot and Dilly Duka by his side, so he may be tasked with supporting Drogba.
In any case, Klopas appeared to rule out a change of formation for Saturday.
“We play one way,” Klopas said. “We can change the game a different way if we need to. But we have guys that can play in that spot if Piatti doesn’t play.”
But all eyes, of course, will be on Drogba – all 20,801 pairs of eyes, to be exact. While the crowd will enjoy witnessing Drogba’s quality, the team, Klopas explained, will be glad to welcome onto the field a truly humble team player.
“When he comes into the locker room, it’s not Drogba the superstar,” Klopas said. “It’s ‘I’m a player of the Impact, and I want to do whatever it takes to make the team better.’ That’s the great thing about him: he’s come here with the right mentality. Talking to a lot of people that knew him, they all said that. But then, when you get an opportunity to work with him, it’s great to have someone like that.
“He’s been great with the group, helping out with his experiences, even with the younger players,” Klopas continued. “His mentality and his attitude, he’s all about the team. I know he’s done a lot, but right now, his focus is just to prepare for the game and see how he can help the team on the field.”
