Source: Daily_Mail
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola: We can take Manchester United scalp
Gianfranco Zola believes his West Ham team can give Manchester United another torrid afternoon at Upton Park - because Sir Alex Ferguson's side are not as good as last season.[LNB] Zola, who will use Guillermo Franco as his target man in place of the injured Carlton Cole, said: 'Talentwise, they don't have the same as last season. (Cristiano) Ronaldo has been a big miss.'[LNB] High hopes: Manager Gianfranco Zola[LNB] Zola admits that his approach will be to 'out-score' the opposition rather than focus on patching up his leaky defence.[LNB] United have lost on two of their last three visits to West Ham and were given a scare last time round before scraping a 1-0 win.[LNB] With Ferguson's men already trailing leaders Chelsea by five points, Zola can do his old employers at Stamford Bridge a massive favour. Reflecting on the recent matches between West Ham and United, Zola said: 'West Ham played with a lot of passion, attention and desire - and that overcame the quality of Manchester United. I'm expecting something like that on Saturday.[LNB] 'Last season we played a tight game. We made one mistake and Ryan Giggs punished us. That was the difference. You need to keep your attention for 90 minutes.'[LNB] Cole, West Ham's top scorer with seven goals, will be missing until the New Year at least but Zola thinks Mexican Franco can fill the England striker's boots. Zola said: 'I see it as an opportunity to find other ways to keep the goals coming.[LNB] 'Franco is very good at holding the ball and very intelligent. We might use him as a target man but maybe get the ball to him in a different way.[LNB] 'I knew that he was a good player but I didn't expect him to be that good. And he's got the World Cup ahead.'[LNB] Zola is not even sure he will be able to call on Cole after January. He said: 'It depends on how he reacts to treatment.[LNB] 'We have to take it day by day.' [LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People:Gianfranco Zola, Ryan Giggs, Alex FergusonPlaces:United Kingdom, Upton Park
