Yesterday we posted a snippet from an interview with Hakim Ziyech, with the Moroccan international claiming that ‘the real Hakim Ziyech is on his way.‘
The words were inspiring, but at the time we were not able to access the full interview.
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It was music to the ears of Chelsea fans who have been willing their new signing to start shining.
But upon stumbling on the rest of the interview with Ziggo Sport (as cited by Teamtalk), his words actually go a lot deeper.
It turns out that Ziyech has been struggling to adapt since arriving at Chelsea, to the fast pace of the Premier League, and also due to the lockdown he has been missing his family back home.
Add to that the injury issues he has had, then you can see why he has yet to really light things up on the pitch.
But as in the first paragraph above, Ziyech confidently confirms that he is back now! Let’s hope so!
“It has been a difficult first six months for me at Chelsea,” Ziyech told Ziggo Sport.
“I began with an injury, came back and then got injured again. Things have not gone as I had hoped.
“The pace of the game over here is much quicker than it was at Ajax. I picked that up straight away, and then I got injured in my first training game.
“That sets you back completely and then it happens again. It was bloody annoying.
“I am used to having my friends, and my mum, around me. Being without them has taken some getting used to, and of course the lockdown has made matters worse.
“On top of that I’ve had to learn how to drive on the other side of the road. I’ve not had any accidents, but it was very difficult at the start.
“You know what can happen if results aren’t good enough. It’s not the first time I’ve seen a manager sacked.
“We’ll have to see what type of system he [Tuchel] favours.
“I don’t mind whether I play on the right wing or in the middle, just so long as I can play. For me that is the main thing.
“I always have faith in myself. I know what I can do, and I won’t put pressure on myself.
“The best of Hakim Ziyech is yet to come.”
