Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has been spending time with the club recently. He has given his verdict on Antonio Conte, Eden Hazard, and the club.
Gianfranco Zola has been spending time at the club recently as he prepares for a commemorative legends match. One of Chelsea’s all time greatest, he has been observing the state of his friend Antonio Conte, his spiritual successor Eden Hazard and the club where his number 25 kit is unofficially retired.
Zola has known Conte since they both played in Italy in the ’90s. Fate lead both to the same English club. And with the pressure ramping up on Conte, Zola has backed his compatriot to pull through.
"“It is difficult for every manager, we live for results. When things don’t go well we suffer. But Antonio is a manager who has been through periods like this and come out of it very well. I’m sure he can cope."
Conte has not faced pressure like this for some time. At Juventus, his team dominated with no real challenge. Even at the Italian national team, there was a sense that the weak roster would yield little. Conte whipped that weak roster into a team capable of a strong performance in the Euros.
But as a player and in his pre-Juventus days as a manager, Conte was under near constant pressure. Conte was never the most talented. But he fought to keep his spot in the team every match. And it was only through cleverness that he succeeded with weak squads in his early managerial days.
Zola saw some of this first hand and believes Conte will pull through once more. The legend calls for patience with Conte. He knows rumors are coming from all sides but believes that with time the club will turn a corner.
The legend does not completely absolve Conte of fault. Particularly in the case of Eden Hazard, Zola believes Conte has made a mistake in using the Belgian as a false nine.
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Zola states that having Hazard sit deeper, in a midfield role, is best for the Belgian. There, Zola says, Hazard can escape pressure and use space to make runs.
This is spot on by the Italian. When Hazard is used as a forward he loses the ability to manipulate space. He is under immediate pressure up top. In midfield, he is given brief moments to influence the game in a positive way. A perfect example was the West Brom match.
Against the Baggies, Olivier Giroud pressed the back line. This allowed Hazard to drop deep to receive the ball. By doing so, he was able to use his fantastic dribbling ability and vision to move the ball. He was also able to run onto flicks that he started with Giroud. Both of his goals showcased exactly what playing him deeper can do.
Zola feels a connection to Hazard but has not ignored the rest of the current squad. While observing their training, the Italian did not see any issues. The focus is on the pitch, not rumors.
There is a desire for Zola to have an official role at Chelsea. This notion only increased in strength under Conte’s tenure. Whether Zola joins in an official capacity or remains an outside observer, his analysis is important to the squad.
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His veteran leadership, like many others past and present, has already helped the club before. It will continue to aid the current generation going forward.