Zola’s bid to light Blue touch paper
IN NICE GIANFRANCO ZOLA cannot believe how much Chelsea have grown since he left 15 years ago – but the Stamford Bridge legend says he and new manager Maurizio Sarri are aiming to make the club even bigger.
Zola was confirmed last week as Sarri’s new assistant and the pair face their second pre-season test tonight when Chelsea take on Inter Milan in the International Champions Cup in Nice.
Sarri’s first outing in charge since joining from Napoli was a 1-0 victory over Perth Glory in Australia on Monday.
During his time as a Chelsea player Zola became a cult hero at the club, helping them win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, two FA Cups and one League Cup after being signed by Ruud Gullit from Parma in 1996.
He left six and a half years later, and last night said: “We are talking about a long, long time ago. Of course the club is not the same but it seems to me as though it is certainly going in the right direction.
“Chelsea is a much bigger club than it was when I was here. I’m pleased about that because it means the whole place is improving.
“We are here, myself and Maurizio, to help the club improve and keep growing.”
Sarri’s recruitment from Napoli, where he had already been replaced by former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, took weeks to finalise, and it now means that with several players still not back on duty after being given time off after the World Cup, he has only three weeks to get the squad in shape for the new season.
The Blues also raided Napoli for Italy midfielder Jorginho, who made his debut in Perth. There are expected to be several more arrivals, with Chelsea targeting defender Daniele Rugani and striker Gonzalo Higuain, both of Juventus, and former Shakhtar Donetsk winger Bernard. Sarri and Zola have around 40 players to assess before deciding on their final squad, with the transfer window closing in just 12 days’ time.
Zola admitted that time is short. “It’s a problem for us and many other teams so we have to make the best of it,” he said.
“The players are really going into the new regime with a lot of attention, a lot of enthusiasm, and this is very encouraging.”
Sarri, whose Napoli team were noted for their high-intensity, short-passing, attacking style, has been putting his troops through double daily sessions of tough work-outs in order to drill his methods into them.
“Pre-season is the base of everything and it always has been rated as the most important part of the season,” added Zola, who had spells as a manager at West Ham, Watford, Cagliari, Al-Arabi in Qatar and Birmingham. And he admitted the pull of returning to Stamford Bridge was something he could not resist.
“The bond with the fans here is still very strong,” said the 52-year-old. “I realise it’s a big challenge for me personally. I feel this, I know this and I’m ready.
“As I said when I came many years ago as a player, I don’t know what the outcome is going to be but I will have the same attitude, to work hard and do the best I can for the cause.”
Sarri is likely to give some of his younger players another run out against Inter tonight, with Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi, both 17, again set to figure. Ross Barkley is also expected to play. He will not see those of his players who reached the later stages of the World Cup such as Gary Cahill, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Michy Batshuayi, N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud, for another week.