Abby Brammell

Paying the penalty: Chelsea's Florent Malouda is brought down in the box by Ryan Shawcross


When you play alongside Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka it is difficult to get noticed. But Chelsea’s Florent Malouda has become an A-lister in his own right.

His manager, Carlo Ancelotti, believes the midfielder is hungry for success after a disappointing World Cup. Malouda was a 75th minute substitute in France’ s opening day stalemate against Uruguay, but started the losses against Mexico and South Africa and scored Les Bleus’ only goal of a torrid campaign.

Ancelotti said: ‘He has started well and he is one of our best players right now. I think that he has a good motivation after the World Cup. He was angry. He wanted to improve on his poor performance in the World Cup and I think he is doing very well.
‘The World Cup is finished and sometimes you don't do well - so it is a good motivation to come back and be excited to play with Chelsea. Sometimes he was angry - maybe hungry as well.’

Malouda’s hunger is evident, but there is more to his impressive transformation from bit-part player to central figure. It is three years since his £13.5million move from Lyon and he had his 30th birthday in South Africa. He is now used to the physicality and pace of the Premier League but, more importantly, he is no longer a peripheral but a valued player at Stamford Bridge.


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Anelka said: ‘It’s difficult to come from the French league and straight away to play for Chelsea in England. It's tough. It's stronger, it's quicker - everything is quicker - and you have to get some games to get used to the English game.


'He's been here three years so he's got used to it and has more confidence. You can see that on the pitch.


‘He's one of the best (in the Premier League). He's intelligent, he can score, assist and he's very strong, so he has everything.’

When he’s not playing ragga music in the dressing room, Malouda thrives in Chelsea’s 4-3-3 formation. A year ago all the talk was of Ancelotti’s diamond midfield, in which Malouda was used on the left, encouraged to tuck in while Ashley Cole steamed past him.

Ancelotti then asked him to play slightly further up field, with Frank Lampard assuming a deeper role.


Flo rider: Malouda beats Sorensen to put Chelsea ahead


But, as the left-sided player of a front three with Drogba inside him and Anelka on the right, Malouda has more licence to roam. Not in the undisciplined way that Joe Cole sometimes scampered about, but to create and exploit space.


Ancelotti said: ‘The difference is to play good football without the ball. With the ball we have skills, but without the ball we are very dangerous.


'I enjoy watching them because we have a lot of solutions as a team, as a group of players.'

Chelsea’s three most advanced players are always moving, making little runs and drifting out wide to find space or dragging defenders with them to create it.

Malouda has learned to utilise this space.

Take his opener in Chelsea’s 2-0 win against Stoke City on Saturday. He ran onto a beautifully weighted through ball straight down the middle from John Terry and fired a right-foot finish past Thomas Sorensen.

It was not just the speed of execution that made the move so devastating, but the way Malouda snuck in and exploited such a killer blow.

The 30-year-old, however, does not just capitalise on the space left by Drogba and Anelka. He creates it, too. This is what has helped Chelsea make such an impressive start to the season. They know the goals will come from somewhere because their movement off the ball is so difficult to track and control.

Anelka said: ‘We try to switch very quickly. If I don't score Didier can score, if Didier doesn't score Florent can score and, if nobody scores, Salomon (Kalou) will come on and score. Everybody can score in this team.

‘We know almost every time we will score one goal. The team who comes to play against Chelsea will be scared because, if they don't score, they know we will.’

Malouda scored 15 goals in 2009-10, 11 of which came after Christmas. This season has been even better: four goals in Chelsea’s three Premier League matches.

Anelka said: ‘He scores more goals than before and I think he wants to score more and more. I think he said he wants to score more goals than last season – then he'll (definitely) be one of the best.’



source: dailymail