Chelsea 'Will See More From' Gonzalo Higuain After Debut, Says Gianfranco Zola

Chelsea assistant boss Gianfranco Zola says there is more to come from Gonzalo Higuain after he made a quiet debut for the Blues in their 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Higuain was taken off after 82 minutes for Olivier Giroud, having had relatively little impact on the fourth-round contest, but Zola feels he'll improve when he gets used to playing with his new team-mates.

Per Goal's Harry West, the Italian said:

"Considering it is the first game, you will see more from him.

"A couple of times in the first half he made a couple of great moves but we couldn't find the right ball.

"I am personally satisfied with him, but he is going to get better because he needs to build up an understanding with the others.

"Sometimes in the first half he was making movements but we couldn't see his movements and this is something we need to do."

Opportunities were few and far between for the Argentinian at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and when they did come along, he struggled to make the most of them:

He could have taken the penalty Chelsea received when Cesar Azpilicueta was fouled several minutes later, but he opted to deny Willian's offer and allow the Brazilian to take and score it instead.

Callum Hudson-Odoi added a second after a fine piece of skill, and Giroud set up Willian for the Blues' third late on after he had replaced Higuain.

Football journalist Dan Levene and ESPN FC's Liam Twomey commented on Higuain's performance, with both observing that Chelsea struggled to bring him into the game:

The striker only arrived at the club on Wednesday, so he has not had long to adapt to his new surroundings or for his team-mates to develop much chemistry with him.

Chelsea have often deployed Eden Hazard as false nine in recent weeks rather than operate with a traditional centre-forward, too, so it could take a game or two for them to get used to the new system with Higuain up front as well.

The Blues face a difficult trip to Manchester City on February 10, but before then, they'll play Bournemouth and Huddersfield Town. If they can use those games to bring Higuain up to speed and get him the right service, he might be up and running by the time they face the Sky Blues.