Didier Drogba Shows He Can Be Trusted to Lead Chelsea's Line Once Again

In the early days of Jose Mourinho's second spell in charge of Chelsea, he infamously picked a team without a single recognized striker in it for their trip to Manchester United last August.

It was a move that shocked many, not least because it was following the continental approach used by Spain in recent years. Looking back though, it was easy to see why he did it, given the complete lack of faith he had in his striking options. It backfired (to a degree) though, as Chelsea struggled to break down a dogged United side, heading back to London with a point after a dour 0-0 draw.

And minds will inevitably wander back to that game in the coming days, as Mourinho has a similar dilemma on his hands for another trip to Old Trafford. This time, the opponent is still Manchester United, but the coach is one of his mentors, Louis van Gaal.

Whilst United are hardly firing on all cylinders, it would be churlish of Mourinho to go for that "false nine" approach again. Although Diego Costa is battling to be fit (and is unlikely to feature), and Loic Remy picked up a groin injury in the act of scoring against Maribor, Mourinho's resources are much deeper than they were this time 12 months ago.

And that 6-0 win of Maribor on Tuesday night showed him he has a man who is still very much capable of leading a line, even in a big game such as this one. At 36, few see Didier Drogba's role for Chelsea this season as little more than an impact player, but in getting 74 minutes of action on Tuesday, Drogba showed he still has the ability to spearhead a potent Chelsea attack.

Granted, it was far from the imperious Drogba that caused mayhem on the Premier League seven or eight years ago; but that is to be expected, given his age and relative lack of match action since returning to the Bridge.

But in that display against Maribor, Drogba showed some of his best qualities are still there for Chelsea to utilize, and that spells danger for Manchester United. Squawka's performance graphs from the game actually showed Drogba outperforming the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Oscar for long stretches of that game.

People will question the quality of the opposition, but Maribor had previously gained two draws against Schalke and Sporting Lisbon prior to this hammering in West London, and Drogba played a key role in the victory.

And WhoScored.com believe it was Drogba's strongest performance in a Chelsea shirt this season, which is apt, given how it's the longest he's played in 2014/15 (tied with his 74-minute effort against Schalke, too).

This is a very different Chelsea team to the one that Drogba played in five or six years ago. The Ivorian even alluded to it himself after the game. It is a much younger, energetic side. That will suit Drogba's performances to near perfection. Gone are the days when Drogba would be chasing every ball down the channel in Mourinho's old 4-4-2 system.

This is a much more fluid, versatile Chelsea who have stacks of energy, and that makes Drogba a dangerous beast for United to deal with on Sunday. His track record in big games for the Blues speaks for itself, and with a shaky Manchester United defence in prospect at the weekend, there are probably few strikers the likes of Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones would want to deal with more than Didier Drogba.

With Eden Hazard and Oscar also building on their good form against Maribor, that might just tip the scales for Mourinho to trust Drogba this Sunday. He has a healthy, in-form midfield behind him who can all score goals, and that should convince Mourinho that employing one of them in a "false nine" role would be a huge mistake.

Plus, with crucial minutes under his belt in the Champions League, Drogba's fitness will be inching closer and closer to being regarded as fit enough to go for 90 minutes, or at least 70 of those at Old Trafford.

This is not the Chelsea of 12 months ago. Mourinho has strikers he can trust this season, and Drogba is still very much one of those. With Costa and Remy nursing injuries, there should be no temptation to rush them back. Drogba showed on Tuesday he is more than capable of leading the line when it matters, and this Sunday he'll be given the chance to prove that.