The thing though is we saw Henry be amazing at MLS, Marquez has done really well and Villa has not lost that goalscoring moonwalk. Whether Drogba can automatically take the MLS by storm is really all down to how much intensity and impact those old Ivorian legs can take with the big four-zero approaching.
What made Drogba so lethal were two things-
Power with intensity as a lone forward
Superb clutch finishing
Don't let people fool you. Power and strength are virtues and for me, are ESSENTIAL if you are playing the lone-forward role that Drogba played. This is why he was able to somehow get G's and shots off with two or three defenders surrounding him. It was all about the art of being able to play with your back to goal, which is something not a lot of strikers can do well.
With age, things deteriorate. It happens. It's called life, and there's nothing that can be done to prevent it. Drogba just does not possess that presence any longer. I don't think his finishing has gotten worse, but you need to get yourself in those positions to actually execute those chances. The way in which he got there was his strength, awareness, and intelligence as a striker. You obviously don't get dumber with age, but the explosiveness and sharpness are crucial components.
Watching Drogba recently for Galatasary, Chelsea and Ivory Coast, it's that sharpness that he's missing. The way in which he would be able to latch onto through balls, or get himself between defenders and tell them to go hitch a ride to mars while he spun and rocketed a G in the net does not happen anymore now.
Before this now descends to a footballing obituary of Didier, there is an upside..and it starts with M and ends with S and the middle letter being L.
The MLS is substantially lower in quality than both the Turkish league and Premiership. Drogba will be going up against slower defenders who won't react as fast or have the level of anticipation that Premiership defences have. That means those deficiencies we talked of won't hinder him as much in this league. And even at the Drog Addict's age, I would still put money on him to put away a one-on-one....ESPECIALLY in the MLS.
This was a move that Drogba had to make. Last season saw the reality that he couldn't play at this level anymore. It's what Pirlo, Lampard and Villa all realised, hence why they hitched a spaceship to....New York. For Drogba, it's a chance to finally close a chapter on what will be a legendary career with the amazing things he achieved at Chelsea which will be pretty damn tough to replicate.
If Drogba can get himself in good shape, and the team is built around him and can give him great balls at good angles to fire off a shot, he may very well end up as the league's top scorer. It's all about the strategy to put him in the best light and if his fitness and helathy can be kept at an optimum.
So who's next to move to the retirement home?
Llorente?
HH
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