Thomas Tuchel’s management of Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech has come under fire from Dutch legends Marco van Basten and Dirk Kuyt.
After scoring the winning goal for the Blues against Manchester City in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium, the Moroccan international found himself on the bench against West Ham on Sunday.
He came on for Christian Pulisic late in the second half for a 15-minute cameo and his 19th Premier League appearance of the season.
Van Basten was left frustrated with Ziyech’s lack of involvement, and suggested that Chelsea’s system and tactics under Tuchel do not suit the former Ajax playmaker.
‘Ziyech again on the couch. When he gets in, that’s like a striker. He can do that too, because he is just a good player. I am sad to see rotation… He’s just not in the right place,’ Van Basten said on Ziggo Sport via Voetbalzone.
‘That Werner plays really badly, but doesn’t he come in much more often? The system this trainer plays is just not good for Ziyech. Then as Ziyech you have to say: ‘You know what? I have to plead.
‘It is now about Ziyech because I have nothing to do with that man. This is not getting along like that. I’m not saying it’s bad for Ziyech or bad for that trainer, but it doesn’t work like that.’
Ex-Liverpool attacker Dirk Kurt then compared Ziyech’s limited chances to play with out-of-soughts striker Timo Werner, who recently ended a 17-game goal drought against the Hammers.
‘He scored in that FA Cup match against Manchester City. Then you think: well, he’s through it,’ Kuyt said.
‘The next game: boom, on the bench. Then you look at Werner, who can do whatever he wants. He plays over and over. He scored against West Ham, but he could have made one more.’
The 28-year-old’s debut season at Stamford Bridge has been rather stop-start due to injury problems but he has shown glimpses of what he can do under Tuchel, having scored three goals under the German’s reign.
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