ISL: 'Conte's vision behind Blues' success'

NEW DELHI: You can take

Florent Malouda

out of The Blues, but can't take The Blues out of him. Other than the obvious love for his former team, Chelsea, the 36-year-old 'young' man seems to love the colour blue in any shade. Of course, it is the

Chelsea

and France connect, but on Tuesday afternoon he was sporting a different shade of blue that of his current Indian Super League (

ISL

) side

Delhi Dynamos

.

On Tuesday, Malouda opened up on his first love; just the mention of the name Chelsea was enough to brighten his 'blue' day.” Ahh, I am very happy. Before the start of ISL, I spoke about Chelsea and they lost their next match to Arsenal. So I was not comfortable (speaking about them again). I had to defend my side. Now it gets easier for a former 'Blue' to speak about the team on top of the table and is back where it should always belong,” he told TOI during an exclusive interview.

“I have lots of respect for (Antonio) Conte. At the moment, the Italian is showing he is one of the best. Replacing Mourinho would not have been easy for Conte. He had a great Euro with Italy and then straightaway joined Chelsea without any break. He is successful because he has implemented his own ideas, which are very difficult to have at Chelsea. He has changed the system. He was the key change for the team's confidence. What Chelsea is achieving is due to Conte's mind and thoughts. The players believe in what he is proposing. I wish they win the Premier League and are back in the Champions League. It feels strange not to see them in the Champions League.”

The Leicester Paradox

Last year's Premier League champions Leicester City are just two points above relegation zone but have made it to Last 16 of Champions League as debutants. Is it another fairytale in the making?

“It's like evolution. There have been changes in their team. It is very different to move from playing in the Premier League to playing in the Champions League. You need a strong and big squad. And I don't think they will be relegated. It's good they are able to perform in the Champions League. It's mainly due to the high level of competition in the Premier League.

“In Europe, the quality is definitely there. But the difference lies there. But the difference lies in playing every three days in EPL. Kante's move to Chelsea is definitely one of the reasons (behind their poor show in the Premier League). I know his game. He reminds me of Claude Makelele. He is a real asset to the balance of the team. Leicester losing him reminds me of the time Real Madrid lost Makelele. A team needs time to adjust. This could be an explanation,” Malouda said.

'Ligue 1 no match for other leagues in Europe'

France players opting for other and better European Leagues over Ligue 1 is nothing new, and according to Malouda, it is also the best way to cement a place in the national team.

“Financially, French League can't compete with other leagues. This is the reality. This is why so many young players prefer to go out. They are not wrong. When I was young, I was told by my former coach, 'If you ever have the opportunity to move to the EPL, don't think twice. Just go.'

“Most of the time, the French clubs are in difficult financial situations and need to sell their players. For the internationals players who play for the likes of Lyon or Monaco, they know there is a certain limit where a team can reach. If you have ambition and want to become a top player in the international team, you can't say no to an opportunity to play for a top team in a major league.

If you succeed in a top league in Europe, and manage to be a part of the starting XI of Real Madrid or Barcelona, of course you would potentially be an asset for the national team. This is what I did when I signed for Chelsea. My ambition was to win the Champions League. As a French international, this was normal process in order to move one step higher. French League is not as competitive as it used to be mainly due to financial reasons.