Chelsea vs. Man Utd: Gianfranco Zola Delights "Remarkable" Impact of Solskjaer's Impact

According to Chelsea's badistant, Gianfranco Zola, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done "quite remarkable" work at Manchester United since taking office.

United has won 10 and has played one of his first 11 games under the interim command before the 2-0 defeat of the Champions League Tuesday at home against Paris Saint-Germain.

Their improved form since Jose Mourinho's departure in December has allowed United to return to Chelsea and Arsenal on the blackboard and to take fourth place with 51 points.

They also won a 3-1 FA Cup victory at Emirates Stadium last month and will now face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for a quarter-final spot.

Zola, who has earned his coaching badge alongside Solskjaer, is happy to see the former striker have such a positive impact in a difficult job.

"I am happy, first of all," he said at a press conference. "That's the first feeling I have, I know Ole, we took the course together and I'm happy to see him go so well.

"I knew that United did not go through a very good time before, but I knew the value of the team and they would come back.

"What Ole did during this short period of time is quite remarkable – he was smart, he was always interested and you can see when someone is concentrating on what he's doing."

Despite the defeat against PSG, Zola believes that United players benefit more from their football, which makes formidable opponents.

"It's a clbadic, it's a great game," he said. "They are in a good time and that's the kind of challenge we need right now.

"You can see that they are currently forming a team that appreciates what they do, they are engaged, they work in groups.

"When you have that attitude and the qualities that they have, it can only be good.

"All you can say is that they had a very good coach before and sometimes things did not go well." The value of the team was not doubtful before and it is not surprising they do what they do. "

Chelsea has won the last four meetings of the Cup between the two teams, including the final of last season, but Zola admits that he has not always enjoyed playing against United under Alex Ferguson.

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"I have fantastic memories of him – not when I played against his team – but of respect, of great respect for the person and the manager," he said.

"He used to mark me with [Gary] Neville all the time. It was not very nice for me. I did not like that.

"It's always a fantastic match, very competitive, it's a game that both groups of fans feel a lot."