Out of a job in the football world since stepping down from his role as Maurizio Sarri’s assistant manager in 2019, Gianfranco Zola will always and forever hold a soft spot for Chelsea.
After all, the Italian spent six years at Stamford Bridge between 1997 and 2003, where he scored his way into the hearts of the local fanbase, finding the back of the net 75 times in 301 appearances, as well as picking up 20 assists.
The now 55-year-old sat down with Gazzetta dello Sport to talk about the upcoming Champions League clash against Juventus, where he was asked about ‘his’ Chelsea.
He said: “The first performances have been impressive. Chelsea are a real team. Against Tottenham, they played a great match. They withstood the impact of their opponents in the first half, then, in the second, they changed gear and scored three goals. There is a lot of quality”.
One of the main differences between the Blues this year and last year has been the purchase of Romelu Lukaku, who appears to have taken the London club up a level thanks to his all-purpose attacking skills, capable of running past people or bullying them in the air.
For Zola, this, combined with Thomas Tuchel at the helm, is a recipe for success, but despite Juventus’ average start to the season, he isn’t writing them off just yet.
He said: “Tuchel is flexible, intelligent, crafty. It’s been obvious since he took control of Chelsea. The match against Juve, however, is not a foregone conclusion. In the first half against Milan, I saw signs of recovery. Juve never die. That’s also valid for the league”.
Chelsea have been warned: don’t rest on your laurels and ensure a professional job is done.
