Thomas Tuchel is speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Southampton tomorrow, and he was inevitably asked about Hakim Ziyech.
The midfielder hasn’t featured much under the new manager, and the response to that was the start of whispers that Ziyech could leave at some point.
Tuchel made a big point of praising his player, and taking all responsibility for him not playing. Simon Johnson of the Athletic had the quotes:
On lack of game time for Ziyech: “It’s my fault. There have been some hard decisions to make, that means Ziyech suffers for these decisions, that he can’t show more. But look at schedule, we need all of our players. I can’t say one bad thing for Hakim. He trained well yesterday.”
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) February 19, 2021
Of course TT is right to say “it’s my fault,” as he picks the team. But let’s be honest – it’s Ziyech’s fault for underperforming when given the chance so far.
His performance in the cup against Barnsley wasn’t great, and he’s competing with some good players. Minutes are only going to get more difficult to come by as the season reaches the business end.
Selling him is a long way off – but there’s no question, the hard work starts here for the former Ajax man.
