Hakim Ziyech did himself a particularly good service on Tuesday evening by shooting Chelsea with his own hands past Malmö FF (0-1). The win has brought the knockout stage in the Champions League a lot closer for the Londoners, as Chelsea are in second place with nine points from four matches and a three point lead over number three Zenit St. Petersburg. The day after the crucial victory, the English media is therefore pleased with the performance of the Moroccan.
It had been a while for Ziyech since he managed to find the net on behalf of Chelsea. The last time that worked was in August in the European Super Cup against Villarreal (2-1 win). The former Ajax player still does not enjoy the full confidence of Thomas Tuchel, but can show it more and more often due to injuries at Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner. The last three matches of the Blues Ziyech appeared in the starting line-up, with his goal against Malmö being good to go into the history books as the most scoring Moroccan in the billion-dollar ball.
Tuchel admitted afterwards that a tactical masterstroke by his assistant Arno Michels led to the victory. He had Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi switch sides at the start of the second half, after which the latter acted as declarant for the goal. “Michels’ trick worked quickly,” said The Guardian. “Hudson-Odoi made a mess on the left in the first half and produced almost nothing. His assist on Ziyech was flawless.” Also The Sun saw Ziyech finally strike again. Hakim Ziyech dusted off his shooting boots to bring Chelsea one step closer to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
“Just when Chelsea seemed to be struggling with inspiration, Ziyech showed up to keep his team in the running for the last sixteen,” the tabloid continues. Also Sky Sports saw a eager Ziyech. “He made an impression to argue for more basic places,” according to the British sports channel. Partly due to a lingering shoulder injury, Tuchel left Ziyech for a long time. The German coach preferred Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, among others. Mount was left behind in London on Tuesday, however, as he was not fit enough to compete.
According to Tuchel, there is still plenty of room for improvement at Ziyech. “He can become much more consistent in making the right choice,” says the German manager. “We rely on his pace and awareness, that’s a big part of his performance. It’s important for Hakim to get back into rhythm after a long time with his shoulder injury. He’s worked really hard to get back on track. but he’s still not at the level he would like to be at. I’m happy with the goal and happy for him.”