Drogba upbeat

Didier Drogba says the appointment of Sven-Goran Eriksson as Ivory Coast coach has come at the right time for the Elephants.

The 62-year-old Swede was handed the task of leading the Elephants at the World Cup earlier this week.

He replaced Vahid Halilhodzic who was sacked in the wake of a disappointing African Nations Cup campaign.

The Ivorians are in a tough pool with Brazil, Portugal and North Korea.

But Drogba has no doubt that Eriksson can help his team make an impact when the tournament gets under way in June.

"There is no doubt Sven will succeed," he said.

"This is someone who knows the game inside out. I have every belief in his ability to take us far and even exceed the targets set for him by the (Ivory Coast) Football Federation.

"With the little I saw of him while he was in England and what I have heard, read and watched, I think Sven has come at the right time."

The Chelsea striker believes his international team-mates will now be at ease after news of the former England coach's appointment.

He continued: "This is like a wish come true for me and most of my colleagues.

"For weeks and months we have been pondering over going to the World Cup without a coach but what we feared most has taken a different twist.

"Now I don't have to wake up every morning and think about the future of my team without a coach.

"Surely all things will work in line for us with Eriksson in charge."

Drogba is confident that Eriksson, who has also coached Lazio, Manchester City and more recently Mexico, will have no problems dealing with the high profiles in the Ivory Coast ranks considering his past experiences.

"As a seasoned coach, he definitely knows how to pull in those surprises when least expected," he said.

"We have a solid team and that alone solves half of his problem.

"The only problem he will face maybe will be the selection of a winning XI out of a team full of talents."

Four years ago in Germany, the Ivorians failed to progress beyond the group stage, although they were again in a difficult pool that included Holland, Argentina and Serbia.

But Drogba believes this time around they can excel, especially under the guidance of Eriksson.

He added: "Our performance in Germany was not up to what we set out to achieve.

"We have to improve and play much better if we want the other teams to take us seriously.

"This is not a tournament you can go and play just anyhow. It has to be better this time round and I hope Sven provides us with that spirit and direction.

"We are going to South Africa to win big. This is not something I am saying alone. It is the general feeling when you talk to the other boys in our team."

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