Friday, August 13, 2021 at 4:11 PM• Mart Oude Nijeweeme

It seems that Hakim Ziyech will not have to go under the knife for the shoulder injury he sustained this week. The Chelsea midfielder-cum attacker was forced to change after a nasty collision in the battle for the European Super Cup against Villarreal, but seems to have come out well, Thomas Tuchel said during the press conference on Friday. The German manager does not expect Ziyech to be gone for very long.

It went wrong for Ziyech in the 39th minute in a header match with Juan Foyth, in which the former Ajax player seemed to twist his arm or shoulder unhappily. After treatment by the medical staff, it turned out that Ziyech could not continue. The stretcher that was present was not necessary, as the former Ajax player was able to walk off the field independently. He did, however, keep his right arm bent against his body. He also had a face contorted with pain. “If you have to take a player out in the first half, it’s serious. Very unfortunate, because he was the most decisive player in the last game,” Tuchel said after the game.

Two days later, the damage seems to be not too bad, as Tuchel does not expect Ziyech to have to go under the knife. “He will definitely miss the game against Crystal Palace”, Tuchel refers to the opening game of the season on Saturday. “The injury will be treated with care. At the moment the situation is such that we don’t need surgery. That would be very, very good news. We hope the recovery continues like this and that he will be back on the field in the next two weeks We can’t promise anything, but that’s what we hope. Physically, the final couldn’t have turned out worse, as N’Golo Kante also had to leave the field.”

Apart from the injuries of Ziyech and Kanté, Tuchel also thought about the arrival of Romelu Lukaku. Chelsea will reportedly pay a fee of around £115 million, making the striker the most expensive purchase ever in Chelsea club history. “There is now more pressure to become champions, but so is Manchester City. They are also constantly strengthening themselves. Everyone is doing the same. But bringing quality, mentality and personality is always welcome and I don’t feel that it is the pressure. increases me. It makes life as a coach more exciting, because we believe this is a strong addition to the group.”