Pizarro ready for new year

Claudio Pizarro has revealed that he is ready for the New Year with Chelsea and believed this would be a big one for himself. The 29-year-old Peruvian will have a bigger role at Stamford Bridge as Didier Drogba has left to play in the African Cup of Nations tournament.

"January will be an important month for me with some more chances to play. I will get into good shape, get some confidence and show what I can do," Pizarro told the Daily Star.

Pizarro is aware that he has not been at his best so far. He explained: "I knew I wasn't good enough before because I joined the club after the Copa America and that made things complicated for my fitness.

"The last year hasn't always been nice for me. I think and hope this year will be better.

"It's not just been here that was hard for me in 2007.

"When I was at Bayern I couldn't play games because I was getting a free transfer and hadn't signed up for the team so I was relegated to the bench and the national team was not so good for me either."