TORONTO—Greg Vanney insists he was paying Didier Drogba a compliment.
Asked to comment on Drogba and this Sunday’s regular season finale against the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC’s coach noted there are two sides to the Ivorian striker.
“I’ve played against him,” Vanney said after last weekend’s loss to the Columbus Crew. “One minute he’ll play like a beast and the next minute he’ll fall over.”
Apparently Vanney’s analysis of Drogba’s game didn’t go over too well in Montreal.
“Obviously Greg Vanney said some things,” Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush told reporters this week. “Those became bulletin board things right away.” Montreal coach Mauro Biello was more diplomatic when asked for his response, although he did admit Vanney’s words had “reached Didier’s ears.”
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Vanney told local media after Friday’s practice that he didn’t intend to ruffle Montreal’s feathers, and that he feels the Impact are looking to make something out of nothing in order to stoke the fire and use his words as a motivational tool.
“If you listen to the whole interview, I’m actually complimenting the guy,” Vanney explained. “If you’re as physically imposing as he is, [defenders] have to play physical with him, or else he’s going to dominate you. But when you play physical with forwards you run the risk of committing fouls, and if you commit fouls—he’s clever like all forwards.
“If he knows he’s in a situation and he get hits, he’s going to go down. Every forward does it. … They can make whatever they out of it. It was nothing but a compliment for him.”
Sunday’s game at Stade Saputo is an important contest for both sides. Currently sitting in fourth in the Eastern Conference, TFC can clinch home field advantage with a draw. A win could see them earn a first-round bye in the playoffs if other results go their way. Montreal, in fifth, needs three points to secure home field advantage in the first round.
So there’s a lot on the line. That’s all the matters to Vanney—not some silly, manufactured feud.
“For me, there’s [nothing] more important than getting a result … The rest of it is nonsense,” Vanney stated.
Drogba has been in sensational form since joining the Impact in August, scoring nine goals and adding an assist in 10 games. He’s a major reason why Montreal, seemingly in crisis after firing coach Frank Klopas, has enjoyed an incredible resurgence, and clinched a playoff berth last week.
“I think he’s a fantastic player and he’s an even better human being for the things he’s done away from the game and the platform he’s used for himself to effect great causes,” Vanney stated.
A former defender during his playing days, Toronto FC’s coach spent time at French club Bastia, and recalled going up against Drogba when he played for Guingamp and Marseille.
“One game in particular that I recall was in Bastia and he was at Marseille, we had a very young centre back and he tried to play really physical with Didier,” Vanney remembered. “Time after time he would spin him and get on the other side of our centre back and he ended up scoring two goals.
“He was subbed out late in the game, and Didier appreciated the competition that our young centre-back gave him.”
There’s a lesson to be learned from that story for TFC’s defenders this weekend.
“For me, it was probably not the right way to handle him because you’re never going to out-strengthen him, you’re never going to out-muscle him. You have to be very sure of what you want to give him and what you want to take away,” Vanney explained.
“We have to be very smart in how we handle him and do a good job as a collective unit of dealing with him in key situations.”
The Impact is one of the hottest teams in MLS right now, winning six of their last 10 games, with two draws. Montreal is coming off back-to-back road wins, putting them in a position to leapfrog Toronto in the standings with three points on Sunday.
Drogba’s influence on the field has been immeasurable. But Vanney feels his mere presence has also been invaluable in helping the Impact to turn their fortunes around.
“He’s been a significant influence for their team,” Vanney said. “He has an energy about him and a positivity that you can see they’ve built some confidence with him there. … They’re a confident group.”
