Michael Owen: How Drogba changed English football

Former England striker Michael Owen says Didier Drogba’s arrival at Chelsea in 2004 changed the role of the modern striker in the Premier League.

Drogba arrived at Stamford Bridge from Marseille and played as a lone striker in the 4-3-3 formation favoured by Jose Mourinho during his first spell in charge of the Blues.

“When I was growing up there was always two strikers who worked together – a big man and a little man,” says Owen in the new FourFourTwo Films documentary: The Art of Goalscoring (which you can see below).

“But I think the introduction of Drogba at Chelsea changed the way people thought about strikers. Managers began to realise they could get a big man to do a little bit of everything.”  

Drogba spent seven years at Chelsea in his first spell between 2004 and 2012, winning the Champions League, four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups.

He returned to the club for the 2014/15 season and ended his second stint with the Blues by winning a Premier League and League Cup double.

Watch the full Art of Goalscoring film below... and tell us what you think on YouTube