Chelsea have their FA Cup 5th round fixture against Manchester United on Monday evening; a tie that promises to be one of the better selections of this round. Speaking to the press ahead of the match, Maurizio Sarri’s assistant at Chelsea, Gianfranco Zola, revealed more about several topics, including the team’s form, Gonzalo Higuain and more…
“We know that it is a crucial moment. The next three matches, and the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Spurs. It will be very important to face each task just by thinking of that task. First is United after a good performance in the Europa League.
“Looking forward to United? Very much, it is a classic for the whole country. They are in a good moment and it is a good challenge. It has always been a good game. Fergie tried to man mark me with Neville all the time. It is always competitive. We are up for it.
“I am pleased, I know Ole as we did the course together and I am pleased to see him do well. I know United weren’t going through a great time, but I knew the value of the team. You can see when someone is focused in what they are doing, Ole does that. At the moment they are enjoying what they are doing. When you have the qualities they have, it is strange because they had a very good coach before but sometimes things don’t work out. The value of the team is not in doubt.
“It is going to be a different game, football changes from one to the next. You can change the outcome and it can be a different challenge. In the league we started well, but they came on strong and we were lucky to equalise at the end. They have a lot of resources.
“Higuain? He has settled well. When it comes to scoring goals he is sharp and his physical condition is getting better. He is in a good place.”