Drogba denies getting Scolari sacked

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has strenuously denied he was part of a player conspiracy to get Luiz Felipe Scolari the sack.

Drogba, Michael Ballack and Petr Cech were alleged to have been the instigators behind the decision by owner Roman Abramovich to axe the Brazilian coach.

The trio were accused of complaining about Scolari's methods when Abramovich met the players at their Cobham training ground.

But Drogba declared: 'No, no, it's not true. The thing is, the boss was there all week and he spoke to all the players."

He added in an interview with Observer Sport Monthly: 'It's wrong to say Ballack, Petr Cech and me were having a meeting to decide about the future of one manager. It was a board decision, not the players' decision.

'We were all surprised that he went when he did, but everyone could see it was a bad situation and something had to change for the good of the team.

'I guess if you look at the results over the last two months it was clear to see something wasn't working.'

Scolari axed Drogba after his insipid performance during the 3-0 defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford in January. The Brazilian pointed to a loss of confidence by the Ivorian hit man but Drogba disagrees.

'I've never had a problem with my confidence,' he added. 'It's not about my confidence, it's still high. I know what I can bring to our team. I don't really agree with what he said. This is his opinion, but everyone has opinions.'

Scolari's replacement, albeit on a temporary basis, has already benefited from the old Drogba magic.

Guus Hiddink has guided Chelsea to three straight wins since he agreed to take charge of the side until the summer and Drogba's matchwinner against Juventus in the Champions League in midweek was testament to his rejuvenation under the Dutchman.

'He (Hiddink) has sent us very positive messages and I think he wants us to believe and win games and that's the thing we have to concentrate on now,' said Drogba.

'It's finished now and we have to think about the future. His CV is fantastic, it's something we have to respect. I hope he'll see I need some games to be fit, that I'm not 100%. The only thing I wanted was to be ready to help the team.'

RTE