Many believe that Real Madrid got lucky by drawing Turkish side Galatasaray in the quarterfinals of the Champions league, but the "Emperor" Fatih Terim, the manager of Galatasaray, is confident that he has the assets and players to compete with the Spanish giants.
One of the major weapons that Terim possesses is recent acquisition Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast national came over from China in January and was instrumental in Galatasaray methodic defeat of German club Schalke. "In China Drogba didn't play for two months, then he joined up with the national team and then he came to us when we were already in the middle of two competitions," Terim stated according to The Guardian. "He is getting better and better physically each day. When he first arrived he wasn't at that level, but now he is improving."
Drogba was a major catalyst in Chelsea's run to the Champions league victory a year ago. He scored the tying goal and winning penalty kick in the final match against Bayern Munich and his leadership has not gone unnoticed by the "Emperor." "He has incredible character and he is willing to work. He wants to be part of the team, he is focused and gives 100% during training and the games. There is no need to talk about his ability. He is a big brother to all of the young players - leadership suits him really well because it is coming naturally from inside him," Terim added.
Terim also acknowledged that Madrid is the favorite. "We don't need to describe Real Madrid, everyone knows they are a very good team, known across the world, and they eliminated Manchester United," he stated. However, "we are also a good team, with good players. We respect them, but we have confidence for the game.
Regarding his strategy on stopping Cristiano Ronaldo, Terim noted, "Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world at the moment. He can do everything, but we can't just approach Madrid as if they have only one good player. They are playing as a team and have [Mesut] Ozil, [Sergio] Ramos and Angel di María. We don't change our plans for Ronaldo. We want to play football; if we lose the game it does not matter as long as we play."
The match takes place in Madrid on Wednesday at 2:45 PM EST.
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