Wednesday,
June 13, 2007
Zola Says England
Must Follow Italy's Example in Soccer to Succeed
Gianfranco Zola, although Italian to the core, has a strong
fondness for England, and
especially Chelsea
where he left memories as gleaming and as eternal as a diamond.
But,
he strongly recommends that the English Premiership League introduce a
quota of three (3) foreign players for each team, and argues that
Premiership clubs must pour some of their immense TV riches into English player
development, as well as recruiting the latest pin-up from International Soccer.
He
points to Italy
as an example and states "The best years in Italian football were the end
of the 1980s and the start of the 1990s. Every year we had finalists in all the
European competitions. One of the reasons is because we only were allowed three
foreigners per team.
They
were the best in the world and it was a perfect balance because the core of the
team was Italian. That is a very important thing to look after because it
allows the young players to come through as well as taking the levels up by
having a few foreign players.''
In
referring to player development, he states: "If you look at the last
eight Under-21 Championships, Italy
won five,''
This
has also helped Italy
develop the Mental Toughness Zola feels the English don't
have, and a large part of the Italian's
advantage is that the Italians are toughened mentally by constant exposure to
tournaments from a young age, so that a summer of
international service becomes as normal as breathing.
Stop the Foreign
Invasion, urges Zola
Telegraph.co.uk
- United Kingdom
By Henry Winter
Some
memories remain as gleaming and as eternal as a diamond. During his sparkling
stay at Chelsea,
Gianfranco Zola, that special envoy from the court of Calcio,
left a spellbound English audience with some precious memories.
The mesmerising dribble through
Manchester United's defence in his first season at Stamford Bridge. The
near-post back-heel in the FA Cup against Norwich
in 2002. Some memories.
Yesterday,
Zola pulled up a chair in the Italian Under-21s'
hotel, where he is enhancing his coaching credentials as "technical
consultant'',
and politely eschewed the offer to wander self-indulgently down memory lane.
He
wanted to talk about the present and the future, and specifically the need for
the Premiership to introduce a quota on foreign players to assist England.
Advising
the English on the need to cut back on imports may sound strange emanating from
a Sardinian voted Footballer of the Year while lighting up the Bridge, but Zola
was always more missionary than mercenary. Such is his affection for England that it
pains him to see the Three Lions struggle
Quietly
but cogently, Zola argues that Premiership clubs must pour some of their
immense TV riches into player development, as well as recruiting the latest
pin-up from World Soccer.
Giuseppe
Rossi's presence in the Italian
party who tomorrow collide with England
here at the European Under-21 Championship indicates that even the fabled
English talent factories, like Manchester United, are polishing imported gems.
Money
has changed the English footballing landscape.
"When
you have a big budget you can buy big players, and that makes the level of the
game better,''
Zola began. "It was like that in 1982 after we
won the World Cup in Spain.
People started to invest money and all the big players started to come to Italy. In England the
teams can now spend and those players take the level of the league up. But you
have to find a balance. Bringing in too many foreign players is not always the
right thing to do.
"The
best years in Italian football were the end of the 1980s and the start of the
1990s. Every year we had finalists in all the European competitions. One of the
reasons is because we only were allowed three foreigners per team. They were
the best in the world and it was a perfect balance because the core of the team
was Italian. That is a very important thing to look after because it allows the
young players to come through as well as taking the levels up by having a few
foreign players.''
As
well as growing their own, Zola believes the English need to foster a different
attitude, becoming more adept at handling pressure.
"Sometimes
your England
players do not give it their best shot. That was particularly the case last
summer at the World Cup. The players were afraid of the media. The pressure was
too much for the players. When you play you really don't need that much pressure. You want to play
off the cuff.
"If
you look at the Italian teams through history, the amount of pressure they
carry is huge, but it brings the best out of them. The pressure last summer was
huge because of what was happening [in the Serie A
referee-fixing scandal] but the players made it work in their favour.
"In
attitude, Italian teams could teach many other countries a lot of things,
including England.
Last summer the pressure was huge but they got together, they focused and they
gave it everything and won the World Cup.''
Zola's wise words were echoed by Rossi. "The Italy
players at the World Cup and AC Milan players in the European Cup did feel
pressure in trying to give a certain example on the pitch of how Serie A is played,'' observed Rossi, his accent betraying formative
years in New Jersey.
"With
Italians winning the World Cup and the European Cup, slowly now many people are
changing their minds about Italian football and have forgotten what happened
last year. Now they're thinking that
Italian football is a place to go and play.''
Rossi
has experience of both Premiership and Serie A,
having recently completed a successful loan spell at Zola's
old club, Parma.
"I was rooting for United to win the Premiership,'' Rossi added.
"It's good to see the young players do well. Chris
Eagles came in and scored. which was nice because he's a good friend of mine.'' Rossi soon returns to Old Trafford, where a
decision must be taken by Sir Alex Ferguson on the future of such a natural
goal-poacher.
His game continues to improve, and Zola has worked with him this week.
"This is the first step to becoming a manager,'' Zola said. "Some
great players find the transition to coaching difficult, as when you're a great player you do things without thinking
very much.''
He would love to manage in England
one day, and his blood will always be Blue.
"It's a surprise Chelsea
haven't reached the Champions League
final but when you play Liverpool anything is
possible,''
he added. "Hopefully, next year will be better
for Chelsea. It
shouldn't become a mental problem. They've got a master in handling mental situations in
Jose Mourinho.''
Italians
themselves are toughened mentally by constant exposure to tournaments from a
young age, so that a summer of international service becomes as normal as
breathing.
"If
you look at the last eight Under-21 Championships, Italy won five,'' Rossi
said. "In the build-up, many people come to wish
you the best of luck, people like Giancarlo Abete,
who is president of the FIGC [Italy's FA]. You actually feel the importance of this
championship.''
For
all the disappointment of Monday's
shock defeat by Serbia here, the Italians understand this event is as much
about sharpening the steel of gladiators - like Andrea Pirlo,
Rino Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi - who go on to lift the World Cup and the European
Cup. Now those are diamond memories.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/
main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1Your
View&xml=/sport/2007/06/13/sfnzol13.xml
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