Didier Drogba admits he has lost respect for Rafael Benitez following the Liverpool manager's attack on what he perceives as the Chelsea striker's theatrical behaviour.
Benitez fanned the flames ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final second leg between the two teams by claiming Drogba goes down too easily, while also revealing he has compiled a four-year dossier of the striker's alleged 'diving' antics.
Drogba was criticised for supposed play-acting in last week's first leg, which finished 1-1.
But the Ivory Coast international insists he was manhandled by Liverpool centre-halves Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel at Anfield and believes Benitez is simply playing mind games.
"Perhaps he is looking for something to destabilise us before the match," Drogba told French daily newspaper L'Equipe. "Benitez was a manager I respected a lot. Until now, I found him not only very competent but also classy.
"But he has really disappointed me here. His words demonstrate a weakness. A top manager would never go so low to attack a player. Maybe he should concentrate on his own team's game and if he wants me to stay on my feet, maybe he should tell his defenders to stop hitting me.
"In the first leg, Carragher and the other one (Skrtel) didn't stop. And not just with me. I finished the match with bruises everywhere. Last year, I broke a rib against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final. Strangely, that escapes the statistics of Benitez.
"It will not affect me. If I fall, I will always get up. The best response I can give will be on the pitch."
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