In an exclusive interview with Video Gamer, football icon Ruud Gullit defended Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who has recently come under criticism. The Dutchman launched an attack on Manchester United, advising Joshua Zirkzee to leave and also surprisingly backed Alexander Isak for going on strike at Newcastle…
Chelsea Fans Can’t Connect With Team, That’s Why They’re Unhappy!
Frequently buying and selling players has become a common theme with Chelsea in recent seasons and ex-player Ruud Gullit feels this is why the fans can’t connect properly with the team;
Ruud Gullit: “If it’s already difficult for me to identify with the team, then it’s difficult for the fans as well. You can see sometimes that the fans are not happy with what they see. If that is because of the results, I don’t know. They had a good result with the Club World Cup. I don’t know if that is of much importance for them. I think they would be much happier if they saw some consistency in the Premier League to understand what Chelsea is all about.”
Enzo Maresca Should Be Given Time, There’s So Much Going On!
The pressure seems to be building on Enzo Maresca after a staggered start to the season but Gullit believes he should be given time to prove himself;
RG: “I think that people underestimate Maresca a little bit. I don’t know why. I think he needs to be given time. There’s a lot going on. Does he buy these players or is it someone else who buys these players? Then he has to cope with the situation? And that’s a huge thing. So many players. And to keep them all happy. So therefore we have to give him a little bit of time in order to figure out how he has to deal with the philosophy of the new owners.”
Arsenal Would Be Better To Be Chasing During Run-In!
Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League, however Gullit advises Mikel Arteta’s side to drop points later on in the season to avoid being ‘chased’ during run-in;
RG: “Every year it looks like Arsenal are going to win it, but for some reason they couldn’t. I advise them to be second during the last period of the Premier League. Chasing is much easier than being chased. You have less pressure and more pressure on the ones who are in first place. But they’re a good team to watch. There’s nothing wrong with them. Arteta is doing a great job. The only thing is they put too much pressure on themselves.”
Jurgen Klopp Could Damage Legacy If He Returns To Liverpool
Liverpool form under Arne Slot has been inconsistent of late and speculation about Jurgen Klopp returning to the club refuse to go away but Gullit is fully against this as he thinks it could damage the German’s legacy;
RG: “If Klopp went back to Liverpool, I don’t believe that it is going to have the same feeling and the same result. That’s the danger. The danger is that it will be very difficult for you to do the same thing. So I think Klopp should not do that for his own legacy. Because I like Klopp and I want him to keep this aura of what he’s done, leave it like it is. I think he ended with a bang and I want him to leave that legacy as it is.”
Manchester United Are The Problem, Joshua Zirkzee Must Leave
Joshua Zirkzee had good form abroad before moving to Old Trafford and Gullit has advised his fellow Dutchman to leave Manchester United as they are the ‘problem’ in all of this;
RG: “Everybody that leaves Man Utd ends up playing well. The problem there maybe is actually United. I should advise Zirkzee to go somewhere else and play more. Go back to Italy if you can on loan or whatever. Just play football. He’s a good player. But at the moment, it’s difficult at Man Utd. They found a little form in the past couple of weeks and I hope for Man Utd that they continue that. Because a good Man Utd is good for the Premier League as well.”
I’ve Got A Good Feeling Netherlands Can Win World Cup Next Year
The World Cup next year in North America looks open as ever with plenty in with a chance of winning it. Unsurprisingly though, Gullit fancies the Netherlands to lift the trophy;
RG: “We have a very good squad and I have a good feeling about the players. But they concede a lot of goals. We have so many good players. I just don’t know how it is possible that we concede so many easy goals? So we have to figure it out. I think Koeman is doing a great job, but you need a little bit of luck at some moment. I think they can win the World Cup.”
Man Utd Turned Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Into Gollum, It’s A Tough Life
Asked if he will return to management, Gullit shut down the idea quickly and compared former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Lord of the Rings character Gollum by the end of his tenure;
RG: “I don’t want to be a manager and I never wanted to be a manager. Then it worked out well, I never expected that. You can’t enjoy yourself though. Look at these coaches. They’re all bald, grey, grumpy. It’s a horrible life. I remember Ole Solskjaer when he came to United, he was so happy. He came out afterwards looking like that thing from the Lord of the Rings, Gollum! Look how Jurgen Klopp looks now. He looks a lot happier.”
Alexander Isak Got His Move, It’s Good For Players To Have Power
Before moving to Liverpool, Alexander Isak went on strike at Liverpool and Gullit defended his actions, saying players should have more power;
RG: “We definitely had less power when I still played. But look, it is also good if the players have some power. You’re not a cow. You want to be able to have your own say. But your career is short and it’s not only about the earnings, but you want to win trophies as well. And if you have a feeling that where you are is impossible to do that, you can’t blame someone for wanting to go to a bigger club. And of course, going on strike is difficult. But nowadays it’s a different world. So for me to say it’s the wrong thing to do, well eventually he got what he wanted.”
