By David Hamill

 

It’s a rare sight for Chelsea fans to see Nicolas Anelka dropping deep to go looking for the ball, but that’s the role he’s been playing for club and country of late and it’s come with mixed results.   The Frenchman was deployed on the right-flank against Manchester United and although it left Didier Drogba isolated upfront, the Blues still triumphed at Stamford Bridge.   And in France’s first leg of their World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland the striker was playing even deeper, often picking the ball up in his own half.   It’s pleasing for fans of the opposition to see this because Anelka is at his most dangerous when he’s lurking in and around the penalty area.

And to prove that he is best used in an advanced role, on the rare occasion he did get forward he ends up scoring the crucial goal with the aid of a deflection. There may have been an element of fortune in the goal, but if he wasn’t playing higher up the pitch he wouldn’t have been able to hit a shot from just outside the penalty area in the first place.

You can’t win the raffle if you don’t buy a ticket as they say, and Ireland probably have more chance of winning the lottery than overturning a 1-0 deficit in Paris on Wednesday but their cause will be boosted if Anelka reverts to what is essentially an extra midfielder.

At club level, there have been question marks over Anelka’s suitability to partner Drogba upfront, with many believing that that the pair can actually hinder rather than help each other and this is perhaps the reason why the former is asked to sit back and allow the other one to venture forward.

But Anelka’s best attribute is his lethal finishing in the box and if he has the shackles on it will be pleasant viewing for everyone other than those in the blue of Chelsea and France.