If there’s one country that Chelsea have had a special affinity with over the years, it’s Italy.
Players and managers from the Azzurri have given the club some of its greatest memories and achieved the highest of feats during their respective time with the club.
From Roberto Di Matteo scoring a then record-breaking goal in the FA Cup final in 1997 to lifting the Champions League as interim boss in 2012, the Italians have something special about them and the Blues have reaped the rewards over years.
So why has there been such a strong connection between Chelsea and Italians? Speaking on Graham Hunter’s Big Interview back in September, Gianluca Vialli backed head coach Antonio Conte for big things at Stamford Bridge.
It’s a perfect match. I honestly think Chelsea is the perfect club for Antonio Conte to try something new, a new experience, in a football world I am sure he will end up loving.
The affiliation with Italian players is epitomised by the 1997 FA Cup winning side. Ruud Gullit’s squad had an Italian spine at the heart of it. Di Matteo controlling the midfield, behind a duo of Vialli and Gianfranco Zola.
Garry Hayes of Bleacher Report and the Chelsea Chronicle explains the role Gullit played in Chelsea’s Italian renaissance. The iconic Dutch midfielder who was known for his wavy dreadlocks and ‘sexy football’ would go on to play a significant role in the club’s future.
Well it all actually started in the modern era with a non-Italian in Ruud Gullit. Chelsea brought him in from Sampdoria in 1995 and realised the value they could get from Serie A. When Gullit subsequently became manager a year later, he turned to the market he knew well, having played there for so long.
Vialli, Di Matteo and Zola were all Gullit signings. And other players from Serie A would soon follow, such as Desailly in 1998.
So there’s been a big influence from Italian players – we shouldn’t forget the five Italian managers in Vialli, Ranieri, Ancelotti, Di Matteo and Conte, either – but this has also coincided with Serie A and Italian football in general. Then there’s those famous blue jerseys!
Gullit and Vialli may never have always seen eye-to-eye but the pair played a key role in winning the competition that really kick-started the club’s ascent to the Premier League’s elite. Gullit’s role in shaping Chelsea’s future both as a player and a manager cannot be under appreciated, even he wore that horrid grey and orange kit!
The jury was out on Vialli and co. when they first joined the club, but they soon set the record straight, as Dan Levene recalls.
When Chelsea’s first Italians arrived on these shores, there was cynicism – at least from outside the club. Many accused them of being past their best, and turning up for nothing more than a final payday. But that could not be further from he truth, when you look back at what Vialli, Zola and Di Matteo achieved for he club.
Among fans, however, their arrival brought nothing but excitement. The coffee-shop ambiance of the club of the Kings Road seemed the perfect place for them to come. Ever since then, Chelsea has been the club of la dolce vita.
Joe Tweedie also cites Gullit, as the starting point for Chelsea’s vast and successful history with Italians.
Some things in football just make sense. Do or do not, there is no try. Ever since Gianluca Vialli rolled into Harlington (an abomination of a training ground, but we can save that for another day), Chelsea has been inextricably linked with Italy. Even the catalyst for modern day Chelsea, Glenn Hoddle, called upon Ruud Gullit from Serie A to begin the transformation. From Vialli to Conte there has been a ridiculous assortment of quality in between. Vialli. Zola. Di Matteo. They are three names as deeply rooted in the club’s tapestry as any.
The Azzurri have often been renowned for their defensive mindset through the years but do not always get the credit they deserve for their attacking ability. It would be Zola himself, who would take over from Gullit, carrying the baton for ‘sexy football’ as a player at Stamford Bridge.
The diminutive forward would remain at Chelsea until 2003, showcasing some of the best individual football the club had ever seen. Towards the end of his career at Stamford Bridge, he was voted the club’s best ever player by the fans. His number 25 shirt became iconic, his style of play, desirable and audacious. He very quickly became a fan favourite and a lynchpin of Chelsea’s forward line.
Gianfranco Zola vs Manchester United, 1997. pic.twitter.com/BaRrXNl0vu
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) February 24, 2017
When Roman Abramovich first arrived at Chelsea, he spent a lot of money trying to mirror Barcelona and re-create the success they had enjoyed.
That scattergun approach with managers and transfers never had the success Abramovich had hoped as Chelsea searched for some form of ‘identity’ in the modern game. The Italians that have stepped foot in the Bridge have combined the swagger of Barcelona and the hard working, industrious style that the Blues were known for before the Russian arrived at the club.
Chelsea fans, like a lot of supporters, are not the hardest to please. Without touching on too many cliches, they want to see a manager who cares and players who put in the hard work to achieve at Stamford Bridge – all qualities that are instilled in Conte’s footballing philosophy and the former Juventus boss is flourishing in the Premier League.
Conte is well on course to win the Premier League title in his first season in English football with Chelsea sitting 10 points clear at the top of the table. He’s rejuvenated the players that had previously lifted the trophy under Jose Mourinho. The two share some qualities, but are quite contrasting, as Levene added.
Like Carlo Ancelotti before him, Antonio Conte has brought a Latin feel to Stamford Bridge. The feeling is more warm and embracing than the serious, quite austere nature of Portuguese bosses past. Even the food is different. Though, thankfully, you won’t find a Hawaiian pizza anywhere inside Conte’s Cobham.
With Conte breaking club records week on week and spearheading the club’s title challenge in his debut season at Stamford Bridge, it’s fair to say the club of ‘la dolce vita’ are definitely living the sweet life with the ‘Armani of managers’ at the helm.
