Gianfranco Zola spent seven years of his playing career in the Premier League with Chelsea and the Italian is rightfully a legend at Stamford Bridge, being voted the club’s greatest ever player. Here’s Zola talking about Chelsea’s season thus far and their future…
On to your playing career now, and your time at Chelsea. How did it feel when you were voted the club’s greatest ever player?
Gianfranco Zola:
“When you play football you enjoy what you’re doing, but you also want to make an impression. When you become the most important player for a team, and that team is Chelsea, it’s something unbelievable. So I was really proud. I think I worked very hard on my game throughout my years, and to achieve such a thing paid me back for every sacrifice I ever made in my career. It was a fantastic feeling.”
Your time at the club came to an end just as Roman Abramovich was taking over and the club changed dramatically. How much of an exciting time was that for the club? Were you there when the crossover happened?
GZ:
“When I was at Chelsea it was a great time. People enjoyed the football we were playing, we won some trophies, we missed out on some others, but it was a fantastic time. When Roman Abramovich took over he took the club to a different level and a completely different dimension. He invested a lot and I think he’s done a good job. Obviously I would have wanted to be part of such a winning team, but at the same time I was pleased because I had a great time with my team-mates and we had fun and we won things. But I was pleased that the club was going to a different level. You know, I played for Chelsea, but I’m also a supporter of Chelsea so to see the club doing so well was very good.”
Obviously Chelsea started the season as champions and FA Cup winners, and had a fantastic start to this season. Why do you think they’ve dropped back in the title race this season?
GZ:
“To be honest they’ve lost important players throughout the season, like John Terry and Frank Lampard to injury and Didier Drogba who had had malaria for several month. So to think that you have a team that is missing three such important players, that doesn’t help the situation. In previous years Chelsea had a bigger squad, they had so many players, but this year I think they’ve reduced the squad and so that could be one of the reasons. Obviously there must be something else, but from the outside it’s very difficult to spot. Don’t forget that we’re talking about a team that in the last decade or so has been at the top all the time, and it didn’t change very much. So something like this can happen. But there’s still plenty of football to play and they can still make an impression. In my opinion they are still champions and can still do something yet.”
As you say they haven’t changed much throughout this era, but they’ve now brought in two big money signings in Fernando Torres and David Luiz. Do you think that will be enough to make them title challengers again or do they need to strengthen in other areas?
GZ:
“Fernando Torres and David Luiz arrived late, you know at the end of January, so I think they’ll become very, very effective players next season rather than this. Will they be enough? I don’t know… I think maybe another player as well, in my opinion. Whoever is the manager next season, which I hope will be Ancelotti, will know exactly what to do. Chelsea will be competitive next year, no doubt about that. Whether they’ll change more players or not, I don’t know.”
Are you confident that Torres can find his best form in a Chelsea shirt? As you said he only came in January, I guess it takes time for someone to settle when they come in the middle of a season, doesn’t it?
GZ:
“With Torres it’s not just about him, it’s also about Chelsea finding a way to deploy him at his best. I believe that Torres is not playing his best football at the moment, but he’s a striker that moves in a way that is beautiful. I’ve not doubt that he will be an effective player, and he will be a player who’ll make Chelsea stronger.”
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