Hakim Ziyech starts to ‘enjoy more and more’ at Chelsea. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder annex winger says in conversation with Ziggo Sports that he can show himself more and more at the English top club. At the same time, Ziyech talks about his affiliation with Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, someone who is “sincere” in his words.
“I think I’m starting to enjoy it more and more,” Ziyech says. He has played fifteen official games this season, eleven of which as a starting player and in which he was good for three goals and four assists. “When I enjoy it, I am at my best. I feel good and then everything goes by itself for me. Of course I’ve been out with injuries, that took some time. But in the end we recovered. I try to enjoy life both on and off the field. I know that when I do that, I am at my best.”
“I didn’t underestimate the level of the Premier League, I knew it was tough. I come from a very different situation, I hadn’t played a game for six or seven months and during the first exhibition game I suffered an injury that kept me out for 12 weeks,” Ziyech continues about his start at Chelsea. “Then you start with a huge backlog and it takes a long time before you are in top form. Whenever I started to do well again, I had another setback and I’ve had that for the past year and a half. Now I’m in a phase where I’m fit for quite some time and it’s up to me to make sure I stay fit.”
Ziyech is asked whether he is one of the best eleven player in Chelsea in his eyes. “I think so,” he replies. “But a coach looks at what he needs per game. You know that there is a lot of competition at a top club, that is normal. Every player under contract here wants to play as much as possible. That is also the case for me. I have to show why I have to play. In that respect I am on the right track.”
It was initially Frank Lampard who brought Ziyech to Chelsea, but he had to make way for Tuchel a year ago. Ziyech speaks of a ‘reasonable bond’ with the German. “As a player and coach should have. If there’s anything I’ll tell you. And if he finds something, he says it too. You don’t always have to agree, of course. From the moment he came in he has been sincere. Whether it’s in my favor or not, I’d rather you be sincere than try to do it some other way. He’s always been sincere and I appreciate that more than you do it any other way.”
“We play a different system, the base he demands is higher. At the ball we are very free in what we do, apart from the basic principles. He lets us be creative in that and that’s nice,” continues Ziyech. Chelsea is currently number three in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Manchester City. “Of course there are many good teams in the country. The battle gets interesting. The competitors? I have to admit that I don’t watch a lot of football in my spare time. Against Liverpool we played almost a half with one man less. Manchester City made a good impression, but so did Liverpool.”
