Sunderland crushed by Chelsea

Eleven points off the pace at the top of the Premiership, Claudio Ranieri is clearly not destined for the big prize this time around - but if he has managed to upset his easy- going countryman, Gianfranco Zola, maybe there is hope for Chelsea's future.

It takes a lot to make the little striker angry, but his omission from the starting line-up for the third game in a row clearly irked him - so much so that he went public with his complaint after Saturday's four-goal victory over Sunderland.

He said: 'I think I deserve to play more than I do and that is frustrating. I'm happy, but not as I can be. I can never see myself playing for another club because I have too much passion for the crowd and I believe they feel the same way about me.

'I still believe I'm good enough, that's why I never worry or think about it when people say I will become part of the coaching staff. I would love to play, but it's out of my hands.'

His outburst is not an isolated incident. On discovering he wasn't starting against Spurs in the FA Cup quarterfinal eight days ago, Zola's anger could barely be contained within the walls of the White Hart Lane visitors' dressing room. Dissent and disgruntlement are not unusual at Chelsea but are normally vented from the stands.

The positive side to Zola's negative energy, however, should not be under- estimated.

Even at 35 and with nothing to prove, Zola's reaction is indicative of a passion which has been the missing link for so long at Stamford Bridge.

Put simply, the players actually care. This was evident at the weekend when they were convincing enough in their pursuit of Champions League football to win a match by four goals for the third time in six days. Two much-heralded trouncings of Spurs might be expected to be followed by a miserable home defeat to the likes of Sunderland. But not this time.