#INSERT type:image caption:Zola, who left Italy for Chelsea in 1996, later moved into management. END#
Gianfranco Zola has said he believes Italian football is continuing to suffer because it prioritises tactics over technique.
Zola left Parma for Chelsea in 1996, when his adventurous and technical style of play was seen as a luxury in a league that made defending the priority.
And he told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "In the 1990s, they were taking the tactics side of things too far.
"I'm not an enemy of formations and tactics because they are important -- but you get to the point where the whole system loses balance.
"It was all about covering yourself and being lined up like soldiers. But football is not war or chess, it's a sport where the technical component remains a fundamental prerequisite.
"English football is evolving. It's no longer the game it used to be. Apart from the larger quantities of money which make it more attractive to foreign stars, the mentality is also different -- everybody looks to win games no matter what, even if it means taking risks."
Zola, a former West Ham boss who left his job as Watford manager last December, said that presented a sharp contrast to the Italian game, where "the road to success starts with cancelling out your opponents," although he admitted Juventus, Roma and Napoli were current exceptions to that rule.
"There's a lot of work goes into the kind of goals scored by [Andrea] Pirlo [of Juventus] and [Roma's Miralem] Pjanic," Zola said.
"It's an error many people make, to think that these talented players don't need any support.
"A pianist practices for up to 10 hours a day. Then, when he takes to the stage, you see the harmony. Having such an elegant touch is a natural gift, but it's the daily training which allows you to perform that miracle and create feeling, even if you were born tone-deaf."
Zola added that he believed his former club Chelsea were hitting just the right note in the Premier League this season, explaining: "They are the strongest team around.
"They were absolutely perfect in the transfer market. With Diego Costa, they have the best attack, while [Cesc] Fabregas is the key to their game."