Gianfranco Zola is back at Chelsea. He has a new role at the club but his bond with the supporters, which stretches back to his seven-year playing career in SW6, remains strong.
Zola was recently brought back as assistant first team coach, working alongside new manager and fellow Italian Maurizio Sarri.
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During his time as a Chelsea player Zola helped the club win four major trophies before moving to Sardinia in 2003, and he explains how the club has changed in the 15 years which have passed.
‘Well, we’re talking about a long, long time ago and, of course, the club is not the same but it seems to me as though the club is certainly going in the right direction,’ Zola said.
‘It’s certainly a much bigger club than it was when I was here, and I’m pleased about that because it means the whole place is improving. We’re here, myself and Maurizio, to help the club improve and keep growing.’
Sarri and Zola oversaw their first game at the helm on Monday as we recorded a 1-0 friendly win over Perth Glory in Australia thanks to a well-taken Pedro goal.
Next up we face Inter Milan in Nice on Saturday, with three further matches – against Arsenal, Manchester City and Lyon – to follow before the Premier League campaign begins. Zola explained why the work carried out during pre-season is so crucial in the long term.
‘Pre-season is the base of everything and it’s always been, from my point of view, rated as the most important part of the season,’ he said, before highlighting that being a World Cup year, there will be less training sessions for some of the players than there would usually be.
‘But we know that,’ he added. ‘It’s a problem for us and many other teams so we have to make the best of it. The players are really going into the new regime with a lot of attention, a lot of enthusiasm and this is very encouraging.’
Zola comes into his new role with plenty of experience having managed in both the Premier League and Championship, but he admits the coaching avenue was not one he always envisaged himself exploring.
‘Not at all,’ he acknowledged. ‘It was never my intention. When I stopped playing I didn’t know whether I was good enough to do it, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to do it, but then when I stayed a little bit out of it I realised how much I missed it and therefore went back into it.’
The Chelsea supporters, who are understandably delighted by Zola’s return, were able to express their affection for our former forward as recently as in May, when he was part of our Legends team which took on Inter Forever at Stamford Bridge.
Unfortunately his evening was brought to a premature conclusion due to injury, but that didn’t stop the fans showing their love for one of our all-time greats.
‘Yes, I would have loved to have stayed on the pitch a bit longer but the bond with the fans is still very strong,’ he said.
‘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.’
