Hakim Ziyech had a disappointing debut at Chelsea on Saturday evening. The attacking midfielder came on for Kai Havertz against Southampton in the 72nd minute. At that time the Blues still a 3-2 lead, but after mistakes by Kurt Zouma and Kepa Arrizabalaga, it was handed over in injury time: 3-3. Ruud Gullit saw from the studio of Ziggo Sport that Ziyech had adjustment problems.

After Chelsea had first relinquished a 2-0 lead, the Londoners fought back on the lead with a goal from Kai Havertz. “When you see how they still play football afterwards, that is really not to be seen”, says Gullit about the game of Chelsea. “No control, nothing at all. You see in midfield that Jorginho and N’Golo Kanté have to work their way around. Havertz only walks a bit, he doesn’t do much. He just has to be in the middle and help the midfield. he just doesn’t. “

Manager Frank Lampard intervened eighteen minutes before time and brought Ziyech for Havertz. The number ten, who came over from Ajax, did better tactically than Havertz, according to Gullit. “Ziyech does want to take control of the game, but he also has to get used to the high tempo, and that he is now being tackled”, Gullit sees. “He thinks he can take the ball on the edge of the sixteen. No, you don’t get that time here, they are on top of you.”

Ziyech is not the only one who has to get used to the pace in the Premier League, according to Gullit. The former attacker draws a parallel with Thiago Alcántara, who made his debut for Liverpool against Everton on Saturday (2-2). “Look at Thiago today, he still plays in a very good team that really accelerates, but he also didn’t do much in the first half. In the second half he got a bit of the feeling how he should stand and how he had to stand. You just have to keep it as easy as possible, hit once, hit twice. And you have to find that ball behind the defense, gamble on the fast striker. “