Zola’s rough diamond

Gary Meenaghan

• Last Updated: November 03. 2009 10:54PM UAE / November 3. 2009 6:54PM GMT

Two weeks after Gianfranco Zola took charge at Upton Park 14 months ago, the West Ham forward Carlton Cole was full of unfulfilled promise. The Italian coach insisted he would spend the season polishing Cole into a diamond.

Ten goals in 26 league starts was testament to the striker’s turn-around, but Cole needed support up front, so in the summer Zola went to Italy and bought a diamond of his own.

Alessandro Diamanti has been a breath of fresh air in the claret and blue since joining from Livorno for an undisclosed fee.

Having made his debut in a 1-0 defeat at Wigan, the 26-year-old has scored against Liverpool and Arsenal, celebrating his goals enthusiastically in front of the West Ham faithful. Such displays have already led to the passionate Prato-born forward being compared to his compatriot – and former Hammers hero – Paolo di Canio.

“‘Di Canio has been a great player,” Diamanti said. “Everybody would like to have the same career. We share the same way to play football. We both give every-thing on the pitch for the team and the fans.

“I always play with passion. I am a passionate man. Not just about the goals, but about the football. I try to put everything on to the field. At the moment, I am very sorry because I’d like to show more.”

Which is bad news for Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa who make the trip south for tonight’s clash at Upton Park with a couple of key players likely to miss out.

West Ham, despite having failed to register a win since an opening day victory over Wolverhampton, have undoubtedly improved in recent weeks.

With Diamanti’s guile and Cole finding his scoring boots again, Villa will not be relishing another tough encounter – especially after Saturday’s bruising battle against Everton.

Villa’s 1-1 draw at Goodison saw the captain Stiliyan Petrov and in-form winger James Milner limp off and O’Neill has said both players will be given as much time as is required to fully recover. Their absence could see a rare start for £8 million (Dh48m) summer signing Fabian Delph.

“It’s a balancing act,” O’Neill said. “With the strength in depth in the squad, we do have players who can come in, but if Stiliyan and James were both out it would be a serious loss to our midfield.”

Diamanti however is focusing on his own team and insists he can lead them out of the relegation zone and up the table.

“I’m not worried by the start we’ve had. Every day we train very hard. The results have not been so good but I am confident we can do well,” he said. “I’m learning a lot from Gianfranco Zola, he gives me a lot of advice, especially on free-kicks and shooting.”

Cole, having netted six times in 10 league games so far this season, is starting to look like the finished article under Zola’s tutelage. Diamanti, by all accounts, is unlikely to have to undergo such a long polishing process.

gmeenaghan@thenational.ae

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