Hakim Ziyech admits it has been a “difficult” first season at Chelsea.
But Ziyech believes it could finish in spectacular fashion after motormouth Thomas Tuchel helped the squad learn to laugh again.
Former Ajax playmaker Ziyech, 28, has been beset by injuries, a tough year adapting to English football and yet is enjoying himself under Tuchel with the club in the semi final of both the FA Cup and Champions League while chasing a place in the top four.
But Ziyech says he has never come across a manager quite like Tuchel before and that has given the whole squad belief they can beat quadruple-chasing Manchester City at Wembley.
Ziyech said: “I’ve never had a coach who has been like this, I think the coaches I had most of the time were more quiet.
“I think that’s only good for the players to keep them sharp and I think that’s the most important.
“Most of the time we are playing the game but he’s also really in it [with us] and emotional wise, sometimes it’s good but sometimes you also think like ‘ooh calm down’ [laughs] but I think it’s good for everybody.
“He comes with new ideas, new plans, and always coming over to the group, it’s really good. Everybody understands and everybody knows what’s his job and it works.
“He loves to laugh, but always wants us to work hard and then of course, we can have fun and stuff like that and enjoy ourselves, but when there has to be work then it has to be serious as well.
“Sometimes he likes to joke, sometimes he likes [that] but sometimes he’s serious as well.”
Ziyech has never been to Wembley let alone played there, admits the FA Cup was not really special before he arrived in England but scored in the last round against Sheffield United and played at Barnsley in the fifth round.
The competition has allowed him to get some momentum at Chelsea because it has not really worked out the way he expected.
Ziyech arrived last summer and was expected to form partnerships with fellow new arrivals Kai Havertz and Timo Werner but the trio have rarely played together while the ex-Ajax star says English football takes a lot of getting used to.
“It’s been a difficult season. With adaptation and everything around injuries, playing then a couple of games not playing then playing,” said Ziyech.
“I think the intensity more, it’s not really the style. It’s more about the rhythm and sometimes you think you have the rhythm, and then you have a setback.
“So it took some time. I always have to believe in myself, so I’m not really loud about it, but I just keep going and keep working. That’s the only thing that I can do, and then the rest will come by itself.”
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