Zakaria Is The Best Partner For Jorginho—Joe Cole

Midfielder Denis Zakaria impressed on his first outing for the west London club, earning praise from former Chelsea stars Glenn Hoddle and Joe Cole.

Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea overcame Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in the Champions League thanks in part to a goal from Zakaria, who had joined Chelsea on loan from Juventus in the summer.

When commenting on Zakaria’s performance, Cole and Hoddle agreed that the Swiss star is the ideal Jorginho partner for Chelsea’s midfield and that Zakaria has good character.

Speaking on BT Sport after the match, Cole said:

“I thought he [Zakaria] was excellent, I thought he got round the pitch, he was the one your eyes went to because it was his first game.

“I think he was the perfect partner for Jorginho. While Jorginho provided a bit of experience in there next to him, he was getting around putting his foot in and to get a goal would’ve been a bonus.”

On his part, Hoddle added, speaking of Zakaria’s character on the pitch:

“I liked his character and his demeanour on the pitch, it was his first game for Chelsea and he looked as if he felt at home.”

Chelsea compared to how they started their first two Champions League fixtures have been able to turn things around and qualify into the last 16 players on 13 points, winning over a Dinamo Zagreb side that defeated them in the first group stage games.