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 claimed Drogba goes down too easily, while also revealing he has compiled a fouryear dossier of the striker's alleged diving' antics.

Drogba was criticised for supposed play-acting in last week's first leg, but the Ivory Coast international insists he was manhandled by Liverpool centrehalves 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 said.

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.'' And Drogba, who answered Benitez in the best possible way with a goal in last night's game does not believe Liverpool are as strong at the back compared to previous years.

His (Benitez's) team is more attacking,'' he added. He has more weapons in attack, with Fernando Torres in particular.

But I find them less balanced and more vulnerable in defence.

They give you more space.

The Liverpool of 2005 and 2007 defended better. But the team is still very strong.'' Drogba also defended midfielder Michael Ballack, who scored twice in Saturday's 2-1 Premier League win against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

The pair clashed over who should take a free-kick in the second half of that match and they had an angry exchange of words moments later.

But Drogba insists that incident has been forgotten.

There was a lot of tension and emotion on the pitch, it was a big match and we clashed,'' Drogba said. These things happen and five minutes later, everything was forgotten.

Ballack is someone I really appreciate as a player and as a man."