Hakim Ziyech finally seems to have found it in a Chelsea shirt. His performances have not been perfect but in the Moroccan’s last four outings against Leicester, Juventus, Manchester United and Watford, he has found two assists and a goal to help the Blues on their way. It has been a rollercoaster season for the former Ajax star who flourished in pre-season but struggled to bounce back from the injury he picked in the UEFA Super Cup Final.
Hakim Ziyech said: “This is one of the reasons why the coach brought me on so I have to be happy to score that decisive goal. It was a difficult game from the beginning, not easy from the first minute, and it was not our best day but the most important thing is we got three points. All the other stuff is better to forget.”
Wednesday’s result is in many ways a microcosm for Ziyech’s season. He’s finding the right results even if his performances aren’t always entirely inspiring. Tuchel’s approach when speaking about the likes of Ziyech, and players who have found themselves in similar positions this term such as Kai Havertz, Ross Barkley and Saul Niguez, has been fairly straightforward. He has been honest. When they have been out of favour, he has given a fair assessment of their chance to earn their place in the team. Even with Ziyech’s improvement, the German coach has been reluctant to overstretch his praise.
Thomas Tuchel said: “Now he’s stepped up in the last games. We had some injuries and he took the chance to have more game time. He was decisive. He assisted, he scored, it’s good. 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 90 minutes. It’s simply impossible.”
Tuchel was clear on the Atletico Madrid loanee’s role when he came into the team, he was filling Billy Gilmour’s spot. While others have taken their chances after being out in the cold, Saul has simply managed to be substituted at half-time in two Premier League games.
Thomas Tuchel said: “You need to be ready if you play for Chelsea, if you think you are ready and positive there is always a chance to come onto the pitch.”
Chances have been rare for Saul, but he has struggled with the pace of matches when he has received them. Of course, it is difficult for a player to build momentum, when so infrequently used, and adaptation takes significant time for anyone entering the Premier League. However, Tuchel has had little opportunity to provide caveats for Saul’s displays or form. Honesty to struggling players has been Tuchel’s calling card somewhat. Following the game against Watford, the Blues boss appeared more tactful when asked what is next.
Thomas Tuchel said: “I don’t know where he goes from this performance but he was on a yellow card so we had two options – take Marcos [Alonso] off who also had a yellow card and try Saul as a wing-back. I had this in my mind before the game, if something happened to Marcos. I thought maybe it was not the right match to try things with new positions so it was him to change the shape a little bit and have Thiago on the pitch with his organising. Having Trevoh [Chalobah] on the six who is more physical – unfortunately Trevoh injured himself and we ended up with Ruben on the single six. It was a tactical decision.”
After another 45 minute outing in midfield, making use of the fact that Saul picked up a yellow card as the reason behind his substitution is a kindness from Tuchel.
