Italian icon Gianfranco Zola believes the three-way Scudetto race has a favourite among its ranks – a point of view that many would disagree with. According to him, the level of competitiveness has risen considerably in the Italian top-flight, when compared to the past.
In an exclusive interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via FCInterNews), the former Scudetto winner believes the fight for the championship title will pull along to the final day, with only seven match weeks yet to be played in Italy.
When quizzed if there is a favourite for the title, Zola said: “I would put Inter in a slight advantage: for the staff and because the Nerazzurri already know how to win since they have the Scudetto on their chest. But Milan and Napoli have also proved to be very competitive. It will be a challenge until the last day.”
The Nerazzurri are gunning for their second successive Scudetto title, having broken Juventus’ hegemony last season under Antonio Conte.
Speaking of Inter’s strong points, he said: “I like the winning mentality, the result of two years of working with Conte. Then Inzaghi was very good at bringing his ideas to life.”
He then heaped praise for the coaches of the top three contenders, failing to pick a favorite amongst them.
“All three are very good. Pioli, Spalletti and Inzaghi have done an excellent job, in depth. Each has found the best way to affect and involve the team in their project,” he said.
He then praised Italy for upping the ante when it comes to a competitive style of play, but still reckoned the Serie A is far off from the levels of Premier League.
“Our teams have grown on the quality of the game, but in the Premier League and in other leagues the pace is different: much higher. We have to grow in this respect by accepting to make tactical mistakes in order to go faster. Obviously, I am sorry not to see Italian clubs in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, however, we have to analyze things clearly. Premier clubs have a higher budget, Real and Bayern are always competitive powers. Having fewer resources, in Italy we have to rely on ideas and exploit intelligence to reduce the gap and to increase individual quality.”
Zola played nine seasons in Serie A, winning a host of accolades, including being part of Napoli’s last Scudetto triumph in 1989/90. He also won the UEFA Cup in 1995/95 with Parma, before which he won the European Super Cup with them in 1993.