Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech hasn’t been able to produce his best form since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel to the club last January but the club has no plans to let the attacker leave the club in January. After scoring the winner against Malmo in the Champions League earlier this month, the player himself admitted that he was still trying to find his best rhythm,
Hakim Ziyech said: “I know what I can do and what my highest level is. I had some hard times with injuries and finding my rhythm again. I’ve never been able to get in rhythm again. I have to work hard every day trying to find that rhythm again. I’m trying to be important for the team with goals and assists. I work very hard, very hard, even when it’s not going as it’s supposed to go but I always believed in myself. That’s why I still believe in myself and what I can do on the pitch.”
The 28-year-old then found himself back on the bench as an unused substitute for the 1-1 draw against Burnley where Tuchel preferred to start forgotten man Ross Barkley ahead of him. Tuchel was asked about the future of his winger at his pre-match press conference on Friday morning and the head coach insisted that there have been no discussions about the player leaving the club in the winter window, which opens in six weeks time.
Thomas Tuchel said: “It’s very easy. I said many times he was brilliant in pre-season. He had an injury which was a huge setback. He played after the shoulder injury with pain and with huge protection which kept him from being totally free, which is necessary for his game and movements and position and style of play. Now he’s stepped up in the last games. We had some injuries and he took the chance to have more game time like Callum [Hudson-Odoi] did. He was decisive. He assisted, he scored, it’s good. At the moment here in Cobham there are no thoughts about his future. There are no thoughts about a potential change, swap deal or whatever in winter. I have talked to nobody about that here in Cobham, so that’s made up by the media. Hakim was not in my office expressing a wish like this so right now, he is a full member of the squad. He is an important guy, a very talented guy, a very ambitious guy, and he’s a full part of our squad. He was last season, he is this season and we expect the very best of him all the time. But it’s tough competition. I cannot let everybody play all the time for 90 minutes. It’s simply impossible.”
Christian Pulisic is back fit after injury, Mason Mount likewise and Timo Werner is also closing in on a return. Callum Hudson-Odoi has been impressive in the absence of Pulisic and Werner while Ross Barkley has also forced his way back into Tuchel’s thinking. The path back to regular first team football is competitive at Stamford Bridge for almost every player on the books, but perhaps none more so than for Ziyech.
