Blues legend hails Chelsea duo's set-piece abilities

Willian has scored five free-kicks this season for Chelsea

GIANFRANCO ZOLA has been impressed by two of Chelsea's Brazilian midfielders, especially when it comes to taking free-kicks.

 

Willian and Oscar have both impressed this season for the Blues, with the former scoring five goals this campaign - all of them direct from a set-piece.

Zola was known for his own free-kick taking ability during his spell at Stamford Bridge and he admits he's enjoyed watching Willian this season.

"That type of free-kick you showed me, I had scored with it two or three times in Italy before I came to England, and it is good because the goalkeepers expect you to cross the ball and if they are not quick to read the trajectory then they cannot do anything about it," Zola told the club's website.

"That is why I scored and that is why Willian scored as well so it is good. You need to practice it a lot as well, it takes a lot of practice to take it properly as it is easy to hit it too far.

 

"The goalkeeper has to worry about a touch before it reaches him as well. There are a lot of players in front of him and he cannot do much about it."

The Italian scored 80 goals in a seven year period for the Blues, with 14 of them direct from free-kicks.

And Zola admits he sees the same similarities from his game in Willian's.

"Willian hits them with the same technique," Zola added. "Oscar is also good at taking free-kicks and I saw him score a couple of good goals last year, special free-kicks, and he has got good technique.

 

Zola scored 80 goals for Chelsea - 14 of them free-kick

"The problem that you have in England is that you don’t get many free-kicks in those areas. It was like that in my time. 

"The referees normally don’t give free-kicks there and especially in my time, the ball didn’t used to be in that part of the pitch long. It used to be more in wide areas and that is one difficulty.

"But nowadays football is changing in England and there is more short passing in the middle so more contact, so Willian and Oscar do have more opportunities."