Wizard Among Us
A man who was rumored to be unhappy with his situation at Chelsea a few months ago could possibly be the most in-form player on the team. Hakim Ziyech has scored in three straight Premier League contests and has saved the Blues from the fear of missing out on the Champions League places.
C/O: MSC Football
At the death against Crystal Palace last week, Ziyech netted a goal in the 89th minute to relieve Chelsea from another sub-par performance. While the Blues defense has been extremely solid as of late, goals have been hard to come by. In the past few Premier League contests, there have been many prime opportunities to put the ball into the back of the net, but few were able to do it. Even when Chelsea looks like they have nothing going in attack recently, the wizard is right there to rescue Tuchel and the Blues.
The problem of a lack of goal scoring has not only been this season's problem but a several-season issue. That is why the Blues brought in Romelu Lukaku, to score the momentum-shifting goals when the team needed it the most. As of late, Ziyech has been that guy. The Moroccan has moved all over the field throughout the season. Ziyech has played wing-back due to the lack of depth at that position. There had been a lot of debate whether Ziyech actually fits into Tuchel's system of three defenders.
Back in November and December, Borussia Dortmund was interested in the Moroccan winger, but despite a willingness to depart West London in the fall, injuries have helped bring the wizard back into the side. Seeing Ben Chilwell, and Reece James go down created open spots for many of the players that tend to prefer the wing rather than the middle of the park. Ziyech scored an absolute cracker of a goal in the league game against Tottenham and rocketed a shot into the bottom right corner against the Seagulls on the 18th of January.
Heading into the summer, Chelsea's attack will receive a lot of criticism due to the lack of production. Ziyech deserves all the appreciation for essentially carrying the Blues on his back in the Premier League as of late in terms of production. Werner and Pulisic may be on the outs because they just have not delivered when their respective names were called. At some points in time during the contests, Ziyech may not be playing the best, but the goals without a doubt make up for it.
Defenders like Azpilicueta and Alonso have come in clutch for the Blues during matches like in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Azpilicueta scored the first goal, and Alonso netted the winner in extra time to send the Blues into the fifth round where they will play Luton Town in March.
One of the most jaw-dropping statistics is the fact that Lukaku only had seven touches in the last Premier League match against the Eagles. This is the fewest touches for a single player in an English top-flight league match who has played 90 minutes or more. With little to no creativity up top, Ziyech delivered when it mattered most, not just once on Saturday, but twice if the €115m striker stayed onside.
C/O: TEAMtalk
After the one-nil win over Palace, manager Thomas Tuchel stated, "We look a bit drained, a bit exhausted, and you can see everybody tries hard. Everybody is looking for the flow where you try hard but nobody sees you are trying hard...We are looking for it but in this moment we struggle, which is not a bad thing because everybody wants to be part of it and everybody gives their best but we do struggle a bit. For that, it is important to win and keep a clean sheet so we keep ongoing...If you think we have a normal week to prepare, I can tell you it is not like this."
While a lot of the excuses for the Blues this season have been legitimate, finishing opportunities up top should not involve an excuse. Chelsea has not been selfish enough at times and has continued to try to send the ball into an out of form Lukaku. Someday, the Belgian striker will find his form again, but the Blues don't have time right now. Lukaku is a fantastic striker in general but just has not found his footing completely after tearing up Serie A into pieces the season before. With competitions coming hard and fast at Chelsea, goals need to come from anywhere, and the wizard and his wand of a left foot have not disappointed.
