Terry is fine, insists Drogba

Terry is fine, insists Drogba

Published Mar. 17, 2011 3:16 p.m. ET

Confusion reigns over Fabio Capello's controversial plan to reinstate Terry as national team skipper, having stripped the defender of the armband just over a year ago. Terry looks set to lead England out in their European Championship qualifier against Wales a week on Saturday, the first time he will have captained his country since allegations of an affair with the ex-girlfriend of then international team-mate Wayne Bridge. Capello appeared to give the misleading impression at the weekend that Terry would regain the job full-time and that he was planning to discuss the matter with successor Rio Ferdinand. Since then, the issue has descended into chaos, amid conflicting reports that the move actually would be a one-match trial and even that Capello had yet to make up his mind whether the Chelsea skipper would be reinstated for the Wales game. It would be understandable were Terry's head all over the place at present but Drogba revealed he was dealing well with the furore. "Yeah, yeah, he's okay," said the striker, who backed Terry to regain the armband. "He's a great captain and he's the main leader in the (Chelsea) dressing room. "So for him to be captain for the English national team, I think it's normal. There's nothing really big about it." It is no secret that Terry loved captaining his country and Drogba added: "He loves responsibility, he loves pressure and that's the signature of big players. "I know that when he's the captain, when he's representing his team, his national team, he's been brilliant." Terry's England future will be resolved in the next week but it is unlikely that will be the case for the Chelsea future of Drogba, who denied Fernando Torres' arrival had unsettled him and insisted he remained "really happy" at Stamford Bridge. Speculation has been rife about Drogba following Torres' record-breaking £50million signing, with the former having lost the automatic place in the side he has enjoyed for several years. He has failed to score in his last nine matches - a run that corresponds almost exactly with Torres' arrival - and has struggled to strike up an understanding with the Spaniard when the pair have been played together. Drogba, who recently turned 33 and is in the final 18 months of his contract, stopped short of committing his long-term future to Chelsea but vowed to continue giving everything to the cause. "There will always be talk about my future," he said. "I keep saying it, I'm here and I'm giving everything and it's normal that the club wants to buy another striker because we are ambitious and we want to win the Champions League. "I'm really happy because the fans know that my commitment for the team is 100% and that's the most important thing." Drogba was adamant the signing of Torres had not upset him. "That's not the case, that's not the case," he said. "I think, from my attitude, people see that I'm involved and I'm into the team 200%." Drogba, who started last night's goalless Champions League last-16 second leg against FC Copenhagen, claimed it was "not important" if he kept his place for Sunday's crucial Premier League game against Manchester City. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Torres will be recalled having been rested yesterday, meaning Drogba could drop back to the bench. But the Ivory Coast striker refused to dwell on his own lot, focusing instead on the big picture. "We have to focus on third place, because the club has to be in the Champions League," said Drogba, who described Chelsea's chances of a sensational comeback in the title race as "really, really small". "Let's focus on Sunday, it's going to be a big game for us, and we'll see what happens three or four games from the end." Chelsea have lost all three games against City since Ancelotti took charge but Drogba said: "I hope that Sunday's going to be different, because we need to win this game. "It would be fantastic to go back third, knowing that we lost so many games, so many points in the last two months."

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