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Jonathan David names Chelsea and Arsenal legends as inspiration ahead of CL clash

Jonathan David
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Jonathan David has named Chelsea and Arsenal legends as his inspiration as Lille prepare for CL clash with Chelsea.

Lille star Jonathan David has named Chelsea and Arsenal legends as his inspiration as he prepares to face the Blues in the Champions League round-of-16.

The 22-year-old has been linked to both Chelsea and Arsenal, and will undoubtedly play an important role for Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side on Tuesday night.

The Canadian international has scored 15 goals across all competitions so far, and admitted he looks up to Chelsea and Arsenal icons, Didier Drogba and Thierry Henry, to improve his game.

David told OneFootball: “Watching a little bit of Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o. Just those quick finishes, if it’s with the toe, the outside of the foo – any type of finish you can get.

“Also Thierry Henry, the way he drops off, dribbles with the ball and takes on players. Watching the little details of his game is something you can take and put into your game.

“For me, it was about working hard and putting the work in. I like to work on dribbling, on driving with the ball, being more dangerous with the ball at my feet, and taking on defenders.

“And after, you just have to try to implement it, you have to be willing to have the guts and try it in games to see how it goes. Because if you don’t do it, it’s never going to come off and you’re just training for nothing.

“Obviously, eventually, it did pay off.”

Chelsea host Lille at Stamford Bridge, and Blues star Benjamin Mendy warned his side have to perform their best if they want to beat the visitors.

“Lille won their group and I think that reflects the performances they’ve produced in this competition against teams like Sevilla and Salzburg,” he said. They’ve been performing well.

“Lille are a very good team. They’ve struggled a bit more this season in the league but it’s always difficult to be reigning champions.

“They’ve done very well in the Champions League and will give everything to make it hard for us and get a result. So it’s up to us to be wary of that and play our best football.”

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