West Ham vs Chelsea: Simone Zaza relishing reunion with 'coaching genius' Antonio Conte

James Benge26 October 2016

Simone Zaza is looking forward to a reunion with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte tonight but has warned his West Ham team-mates they will be coming up against “a tactical expert”.

West Ham striker Zaza was part of Antonio Conte’s squad at Euro 2016 – indeed his penalty shootout miss was crucial in Italy’s quarter-final elimination to Germany – and was also part of the Juventus squad that Massimiliano Allegeri had built on Conte’s foundations.

Zaza and Conte will be reunited tonight as the London Stadium hosts its first capital derby – an EFL Cup fourth round tie between West Ham and Chelsea.

Under Conte Chelsea have undergone a tactical revolution and look set to line up in a 3-4-3 formation not entirely dissimilar to the system their manager used with the Italian national team. But Zaza knows from experience that the Italian expects his sides to be able to change system mid-match, something West Ham must be wary of.

“It was an honour and a pleasure to play under Mister Conte for Italy,” Zaza told the club website. “He is a coaching genius and a tactical expert and it is interesting to play for him because he is so obsessed with tactics and the movement of players around the pitch.

“For him, it will be different coaching in England, where tactics are not the most important thing about the game of football. He will have to battle against the footballing culture of this country, but I think he will do well here.

“I am happy because this is a big match against a big team on a big stage, and I like playing against big teams! I am also happy because I will be reunited with Mister Conte.”

Zaza is yet to score since his loan move to West Ham from Juventus – a deal which included an obligation to buy after a certain number of Premier League games. However the 25-year-old has enjoyed an upswing of form in recent matches and has been labelled “different class” by his manager Slaven Bilic.

You can follow the match live tonight on Standard Sport. Click here for more information.

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