Chelsea face Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
Ahead of the midweek European clash, AS interviewed Blues icon Gianfranco Zola, who had two spells at the west London club. The first one as a player between 1996 and 2003, where he won several trophies including two FA Cups.
Zola’s second stint at Chelsea was as Maurizio Sarri’s assistant during the 2018/19 season, and they won the Europa League.
Chelsea approach the clash against Los Blancos after a 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend. They are 11th in the table and are closer to the relegation zone [12 points] than to the top four [14 points].
The Premier League side have invested heavily in the last two windows but weren’t able to get the results required.
On Chelsea’s struggles this season, Zola said: “Gathering a lot of quality does not give you the certainty that you are forming a good team. Chelsea are an example. The difference between a good team and a great team is sometimes details, complicity… It’s not just about signing great champions. There has been a change of owner, of coach. Things are not going as they should.”
Chelsea’s poor run saw them sack Thomas Tuchel last September and Graham Potter earlier this month. Frank Lampard has returned to the Bridge as interim manager until the end of this season. Zola was asked to share his views on the Blues’ decision to sack Potter.
“This is a business. It disgusts me to see a coach dismissed, I have lived it in my own skin and I know what it feels like. But if we put together the demand of the club and also that of its fans, and in return there are no results, then we reach that decision,” he explained.
