Gianfranco Zola has opined that Chelsea’s decision to sell three key players led to the loss of the team’s core identity.
Chelsea concluded the 2023-24 season in sixth place in the Premier League, trailing champions Manchester City by nearly 30 points.
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While Chelsea’s performance improved towards the season’s end, it wasn’t enough to secure a higher league finish or convince Mauricio Pochettino to stay, leading to his departure from Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca, formerly of Leicester City, has been brought in as Pochettino’s successor with hopes of guiding Chelsea to future successes.
Zola attributes Chelsea’s early-season struggles to the adjustment period following the transfers of Jorginho and Kai Havertz to Arsenal, and Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City.
‘Chelsea have had a hard season, especially at the beginning, but they changed a lot,’ the Stamford Bridge hero told Ladbrokes.
‘They put a lot of young players in place, and lost a lot of experienced ones like Jorginho, Havertz, and Kovacic. They lost many players who were the soul of the team, the leaders, so it took time to get going.
‘But finally Pochettino got it working and it was working quite well. It was very surprising to see him leaving and I don’t know the full reasons but obviously from a supporter point of view I am disappointed.’
Maresca is regarded as one of England’s top coaching talents, having led Leicester to a Championship victory last season and having experience working with Pep Guardiola.
Zola emphasizes that Maresca faces a significant challenge and must quickly earn the support of both Chelsea fans and players.
‘Enzo Maresca has a big job to do,’ the Italian added. ‘He will need to get the players behind him to do what he wants to do. He will need to get the supporters behind him.
‘It will be a big task. I saw Leicester play and I was impressed by the way he got them playing so I know he has abilities and on top of that he is Italian so that is a plus!
‘But I was surprised by his appointment. Firstly, I didn’t think Pochettino would leave but also because he was a name we didn’t know was there.
‘Don’t get me wrong, I recognise his abilities, but we were expecting somebody more experienced or high profile. I think we wait and see how he handles a team like Chelsea where big expectations come with it.’
Given Chelsea’s transition and the competition in the Premier League, Zola believes a top-four finish would represent success for Maresca next campaign.
‘In terms of ability, I think the team have that, but I believe a young team needs to have experienced players among them to guide them through the journey,’ he said.
‘I totally believe that a good mix of quality players is important so that they can really show the way to the young ones. If Chelsea can get a few experienced players in, that would be fundamental.
‘Success for Chelsea next season would be to get a Champions League spot. We came close this year so if we can manage to do that, I think we can say it has been a very good season.
‘Considering that the competition now has become incredibly strong with Man City, Liverpool, and now Arsenal coming very strong, it is tough. A Champions League spot for us will be a fantastic achievement.
‘The standard is now very high so Chelsea will have a lot of ground to cover to be on their level and challenge for the title. There is a lot of work to do.’
