Thomas Tuchel’s ‘self-confidence’ and the ‘system’ he plays with Chelsea are the cause of Hakim Ziyech’s lack of form for the club.
That’s according to De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen, who compares Ziyech’s situation to that of international teammate Mohamed Ihattaren today.
Big things were expected of Ziyech when he arrived from Ajax in the summer, with the Moroccan having established himself as the star of the show with the Dutch side both domestically and in the Champions League in recent years.
However, his time at Chelsea has been nothing short of frustrating for him and the club so far, with Ziyech yet to get anywhere near the heights he hit at Ajax.
While there have been flashes of his ability, the Blues’ packed squad has meant chances have been limited for him to make his mark.
That has certainly been the case under Tuchel, with Ziyech managing just ten appearances and 522 minutes of football under him so far after 17 appearances and 919 minutes under Frank Lampard previously.
Those ten games under the German have yielded just two goals, a run of form Driessen believes is solely down to the manager.
“How Schmidt and Tuchel demand total subservience from the Moroccan kings on their chessboard and relegate them to pawns is thought-provoking,” he writes in the newspaper, relayed by Voetbal Zone.
“Tuchel was so busy with his ten-man team, wearing a hat in plus seven degrees Celsius, that he didn’t give the proud Ziyech a second glance.
“The self-confidence of Schmidt and Tuchel as football coaches is dripping off them. As if they were sent by God and not dependent on the qualities of players.
“But it was Ihattaren who turned the ball into the cross, and it was the eleven of West Brom who knew how to deal with the ten of Chelsea.
“For Schmidt, the system – 4-2-2-2 – is sacred, and he makes players subordinate to it. Exactly there lies Ihattaren’s problem at PSV. At no position in that system do his qualities come to full fruition.
“Like Ziyech in Tuchel’s system – central behind the striker – he can’t use his passes and balls as he does at Ajax. While that is where his quality lies.”
