Gianfranco Zola weighed in on the qualities of Juventus’ young talents, the explosive debut season of Ruben Loftus-Cheek at Milan and the collapse of Napoli following their Scudetto.
Inter have now mathematically secured the 2023-24 Serie A title following their tense 2-1 win over rivals Milan in the Derby della Madonnina on Monday evening, heralding the closing stages of the season. Whilst the victor has been decided, there are many doubts across the table.
A handful of teams are jostling for the European spots in the top half of the table, whilst six teams are involved in a battle to avoid the drop to Serie B – Sassuolo, Frosinone, Udinese, Empoli, Hellas Verona and Cagliari.
Zola weighs in
Speaking on page 14 of today’s Tuttosport, Zola first discussed the qualities of Juventus talent Kenan Yildiz.
“Very strong. I really like him a lot. He has very important qualities to have a career of the highest level. In some things we are similar, but I was more of a striker, so much so that in Parma and Chelsea I played as a false nine.
“I see him as more of a midfielder than me, he plays more between the lines as an assist man. However, Juve have incredible talent at home.”
Zola also touched on the qualities of Matias Soule.
“I often watched him live when he was in Next Gen and he always impressed me. We are talking about a pure talent with great dribbling. In Frosinone he is doing very well. For me he is ready to be a great protagonist at Juventus next year too.”
He was asked if he expected Loftus-Cheek to impress so much at Milan.
“I had no doubt that his arrival at Milan would be a success, given that I know his qualities well. He has dribbling, dribbling, excels in the defensive phase and has enormous potential.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he is doing so well, I would have bet any amount on the fact that he would have made a great impression in Serie A.”
Zola commented on the collapse of Napoli this term.
“This year was a huge disappointment. They lost an important figure like Spalletti, who was the leader and the main architect of the Scudetto. Some important players experienced a bit of a lack of steam and all these things together cost them important points in the standings.”
He discussed which team have surprised him most this season.
“Bologna catches your eye. They’re doing great things and are deservedly in the Champions League spots. I applaud the club that chose Motta, Thiago was really very good, improving the players at his disposal and achieving great results with a good game.”
Finally, Zola spoke about some other rising coaches like Daniele De Rossi and Alberto Gilardino.
“There is a new generation of coaches who are increasingly looking for the game. It’s nice to see that more and more teams are trying to achieve results through play and ideas. I am convinced they will do great things in the future too.”