Didier Drogba feels Chelsea must make a giant leap of faith if they are to get their Premier League title defence off to a flying start. Last season's Double winners went down 3-1 to Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley, a fourth consecutive loss in their warm-up schedule.
With so many of the senior squad having been away on extended breaks after the World Cup, while the likes of Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel are coming back from long-term injuries, Ivory Coast striker Drogba admits there is still some hard work ahead.
"The game against United showed we are not ready. We have to step up our game if we want to start the season well like we did last year," said Drogba, who came on as a second-half substitute.
"A lot of players have only trained for 10 days. It is too short to be fit and ready for the big competition.
"We have to improve our game, even if we are not fit, and hope that in two to three weeks time we will be better.
"I hope it does not take that long but when you come back after a short holiday it takes a minimum of two to three weeks to have good preparation and be fit physically. I know I'm not ready yet.
"Against United, we played without intensity, but we are working very hard in training trying to get fit early.
"It is not going to be easy but we need more time."
