Hakim Ziyech was of great value to Chelsea on Tuesday evening in the Champions League against Malmö FF. The Moroccan international signed for the only goal of the match after an hour of play on a pass from Callum Hudson-Odoi. ESPNanalyst Marciano Vink saw Ziyech play from the left wing and did not think the ex-Ajacied played as he is used to. “I feel with Ziyech at Chelsea that he does things to help the coach please,” said Vink.
“It was nice to see Ziyech play again,” Vink said in the program on Tuesday evening football talk. “And he played really hard: he was everywhere, took all the corners and was involved in almost every opportunity.” Cristian Willaert noted that Ziyech played in Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system from the left wing. “Remarkable, because we have never actually seen that in the Netherlands.” Vink: “He wandered a bit and at least made sure that he was in front of the goal at the right time for that goal.”
Vink believes that Ziyech plays a different way at Chelsea than in his time at Ajax. The former football player states that Ziyech plays in a certain way to ‘to please’. “He no longer does things to please himself please. Ziyech is expected to stand very deep. But that’s a position he shouldn’t be in at all. He has to be the director and give the pass,” said Vink. “Now he is often the end station and he only does that to be allowed to play and the trainer says: ‘You did well.’ The Ziyech we know is averse to that. He is someone who says: give me the ball, I’ll send it. I find that very strange to see.”
GOOOOAL! ???????????? ????????????! ?????
There is finally the goal for Chelsea?With just under an hour on the clock, The Blues take the lead against Malmö: 0-1 ??#ZiggoSport #UCL #MALCHE pic.twitter.com/IaeL7OdUcN
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) Nov 2, 2021
According to Vink, Ziyech cannot give certain crosses because he ‘must be in that deep position’. “That Ziyech trademark, a ball at the far post on Promes, he has to fill that role. Then it is very strange if he walks around a bit lost. I regret that.” Willaert commented that he thinks Ziyech plays football more economically than at Ajax. “At Ajax it was like this: he was the creative man and if he lost the ball forty times in a match that was not a problem at all, as long as he only gave two assists. But you can’t play like that in England.” Vink added: “That already changed at Ajax at the end. Because forty times loss of the ball meant that he put pressure thirty times to conquer the ball.”