Zola wants Chelsea to make amends against Spurs in the Carabao Cup semi-finals
Chelsea made it through to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday night. The game was heading towards a penalty shootout but substitute Eden Hazard’s 84th-minute strike sent the Blues through to the last four in the competition.
The Blues have been drawn to face Tottenham Hotspur in the double-legged semi-final tie, the first of which is at Wembley on the 7th of January. And assistant manager Gianfranco Zola says that Chelsea are ready to make amends for their 3-1 loss against the Lilywhites earlier in the season, which marked the end of Sarri’s unbeaten run in England.
“It could have been a better [draw] but we are in the semi-finals and we knew it would be a difficult game,” he said. “But we are happy because they gave us a footballing lesson [at Wembley] and we are looking forward to challenging them again. I’m sure it will be a different type of game.
He further added, ” “There are a lot of proud players in our team and they will want to show that they were not the ones who played that game. In that game, too many players under-played and some of them were hurt.”
“I am really pleased that we play against them again. I can’t wait.”
Zola dismissed suggestions that Hazard needed a rest and reiterated Chelsea’s desire to keep him at the club for the foreseeable future.
“We know we have a lot of games and we need to keep players like Eden fit and in good condition,” said Zola. “But we know he is the type of player who can change a game, even in 20 minutes, and Pedro is as well. That’s the good thing about having players like that.
“Hopefully he will stay longer with us and become even bigger. I am really looking forward to seeing Eden achieve great things with this club.”
