Gianfranco Zola Says Maurizio Sarri Left Chelsea for Juventus Too Soon

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has said he believes the club's former manager Maurizio Sarri left his post too soon. 

Sarri spent a season at Stamford Bridge, steering the Blues to a third-placed finish in the Premier League and UEFA Europa League success. However, at the end of the last campaign he left the London giants to join Juventus, with Frank Lampard since confirmed as his successor.

Zola was Sarri's assistant manager in 2018-19 and said he felt as though his countryman had more to give in the role, especially given how challenging Sarri's style is to implement, per Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Mail:

"Looking at the way he works, it takes a little bit of time to put in place what he wants to do and also he is very demanding on the players. But, after the players get used to it, they get better and better, and the work becomes more effective.

"It's a pity, because I think it would have been good for the club if Maurizio stayed and it would have been good for Maurizio as well."

Sarri spoke about the difficulty of getting his ideas across at this stage of his career in his first press conference as Juventus boss:

Although Sarri was able to draw plenty from the Chelsea players, he never appeared to be a natural fit in the Blues dugout.

At times during the campaign, Chelsea fans made it clear they were unhappy with the brand of football being played. The style, referred to as "Sarri-ball", was mocked by the Stamford Bridge crowd at numerous points throughout the course of the season when the team were performing poorly.

Lampard, the Blues' all-time record goalscorer, should at least bring a positive mood back to the club in 2019-20. It's something Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph said disappeared under Sarri's stewardship:

It will be a challenge for the new manager. After all, not only does he only have a year of experience in coaching—Lampard spent last season in charge of Derby County—he is taking over Chelsea at a difficult time.

They are banned from registering players for the next two transfer windows, while their long-term star man Eden Hazard has joined Real Madrid.

Sky Sports News' Adam Leventhal still believes the Blues will be able to cope despite the obstacles Lampard faces:

Another summer working with the Chelsea squad and bringing on some young players would have no doubt helped Sarri. With that in mind, it would have been intriguing to see what the team were capable of under his guidance in the upcoming season.

Still, at the end of last term, the decision to part ways felt like the best one for all parties. Given the job he's walked into at Juventus, where Sarri will take over a team that's won eight Serie A titles in a row and has Cristiano Ronaldo spearheading the attack, the Italian coach is unlikely to lament leaving Chelsea for too long.