Prior to the start of the season, Hakim Ziyech’s arrival at Chelsea generated mixed responses. On the one hand, some fans felt that the club was bringing in a quality attacker who is currently at the peak of his powers.
On the other hand, some felt that the club was bringing in an untested player in England who could fail. Granted, the 27-year-old did not play in any of Europe’s top five leagues prior to his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
What he did have was an impressive reputation. He was one of the star players as Ajax dominated the Eredivisie and reached the semi-final stage of the Champions League in 2019.
He has started life at Chelsea with a bang
Ziyech has so far cast aside doubts that he might find it difficult to adapt to life in England. The Morocco international made his first Premier League start for the Blues against Burnley last month and notched a goal. In doing so, he became the first Chelsea player since Diego Costa to score in his first two starts for the club.
In his second start for the Blues against Sheffield United, he provided two assists as his side recorded a 4-1 win.
What Fabregas had to say about Ziyech?
Whilst Fabregas and Ziyech are different players, the one thing that both share in common is that they are creative powerhouses. Fabregas has been one of the great creative outlets of the past generation. Ziyech will be hoping to use his creative prowess in order to help bring silverware to the Bridge.
“He’s a very good player,” Fabregas said to 90Min.
“He has this vision that you need in a top team like Chelsea, who want to win and be champions.
“You could see that they were lacking ideas last season and maybe at the beginning of this season, but with Ziyech, you can see that he has this last pass. It’s not only that he sees it, it’s that he makes it right, at the right time. That’s the decision-making that we talk about nowadays.
“Why are coaches so tactical? Because they see the decision-making of the players is not that good, so they always need to teach them what to do. Before, I believe that coaches were not as on top of the players as they are now, they felt that maybe there was not as much need because the players already saw it themselves, but I believe that Ziyech is one of these players.”
