da doce： Chelsea face Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday and Blues legend Gianfranco Zola is looking forward to the game like the rest of us. Here’s Zola talking about the upcoming encounter and giving us an insight into the enigma that is Mario Balotelli…
da prosport bet： Looking ahead to the weekend, Chelsea have a very important game against Manchester City which could help determine a Champions League place. Obviously Manchester City have come on a lot since they invested all that money, do you think they will be title contenders next season as well?
Gianfranco Zola: Yes, I have no doubt. It’s just all about time. Manchester City will be there and be contending in the title race. They’ve been contending for the title this year already, but unfortunately for them it looks like it’s not going to happen this season. All they need is time, though, because they have resources and will be using them to strengthen the team all the time.
Manchester City have an excellent record against Chelsea recently. Why do you think they do so well against them?
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GZ: Well, I don’t know, I didn’t see their last few games that you’ve mentioned. But sometimes there’s no reason, one team can have a good record against another without any explanation, it’s just the way it is. City are on a good run now but I’m sure Chelsea have got a lot to play for and they’ll want to end that run as quickly as possible. It won’t be easy… but it’ll be a good game. I’ll be interested to see it.
Did you ever work with Mario Balotelli when you were with the Italian U21 squad? He seems to have all the elements to be a top player. How good do you think he can become?
GZ: Yes I did, I worked with him for a short spell. He can become as good as he wants. Everything is in place except the self-discipline. He is a skilful player, a strong player; he just needs to learn the self-discipline that is so important in achieving results.
All the biggest players I’ve seen in my career had talent, but they also had strong self-control which made them key players. I think Mario knows that, and he has to learn to use his passion for football in the best way.
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