Gianfranco Zola’s exit from Chelsea has been confirmed, and after a successful spell at the club last season, it’s sad to see the Italian leave.
What’s being said
Journalist George Perry holds no such sadness over the exit of Zola and thinks Chelsea axing him is entirely the correct decision.
Perry reckons that Zola’s choice of a professional mentor showed just how poor his judgement was as a coach.
He said: “Gianfranco Zola apparently chose to work with Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea in large part to learn Sarri’s defensive methods. Zola’s choice of mentors reflects some poor professional judgment.”
“Sarri’s defence was as by-the-book as his offence and similarly unadapted to the realities of the Premier League.”
“Chelsea’s pure zonal marking on set pieces surrendered numerous scoring chances and an untoward number of goals.” (Source: The Pride of London)
Chelsea couldn’t defend their honour
Perry is unequivocally right in his assessment of Zola and his choosing of former boss Maurizio Sarri as a ‘mentor’.
Chelsea were woeful defensively last season as they conceded a mass 56 goals in competitions. For Zola to say he chose to work under Sarri so he could learn about his defensive coaching shows an incredible lack of knowledge on the Italian’s part.
Sarri’s lack of defensive know-how was apparent last season after he chose to play N’Golo Kante further forward, rather than alongside Jorginho in the defensive midfield role.
Letting Zola go is a brilliant decision by Chelsea, who need people with better judgement ahead of a crucial season.
