Chelsea assistant coach, Gianfranco Zola has explained why his side permitted Frank Lampard’s Derby County to feature two Blues’ loanees, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount, when both teams clash in tonight’s Carabao Cup fixture at Stamford Bridge.
According to Zola, Maurizio Sarri’s side gave Derby permission to play Tomori and Mount because it will help the duo to improve quicker and also build their confidence which he said was important for Chelsea.
Zola told Chelsea’s official website: “It’s because we believe at the end of the day what’s important for us is that Mason and Tomori grow up as players, and we believe playing against us is an opportunity for them to grow up quicker because the more they play against Premier League teams the more experience they can get, and the better the evaluation we can make on them. It was a great opportunity to see them play in front of us and we took it.
“There will be a lot at stake. It will be a game where the technical, tactical and physical side is on a higher level than the ones they play in their own league. As well as that there will be a psychological component because they will have to play in front of a big crowd, and they know it’s the crowd of the team they belong to, so it will give them a good test.”
The kick-off time for the match is 8:45pm.
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