The Group of Chelsea

Much has been made about the Group of Death, which included Argentina, the Netherlands, Cote d’Ivore and Serbia and Montenegro. One of the interesting subplots in this killer group is the Chelsea connection.

Argentina’s Hernan Crespo, Cote d’Ivore’s Didier Drogba, Holland’s Arjen Robben and all are teammates for the league-leader in England but come this summer each will be looking to lead their team to victory and to walk away with as the group’s scoring leader.

Who will lead this scoring bunch?

Crespo who will be heavily featured up front for Argentina, will benefit from the playmaking skills of Juan Roman Riquelme, but I think the uncertainty of Argentina’s lineup and the fact his team is only playing one friendly before the start of the tournament will make it difficult for any forward combination to truly click.

Robben plays out wide for the Dutch and is not as true a striker as Crespo and Drogba but he will have his opportunities to score in Holland’s open attack.

My money is on Drogba who has scored 17 goals in 22 international matches. While he might not be surrounded by the talent that Crespo and Robben has, Drogba has the size and strength in the air that will make him a threat to score on his own.