‘He works a lot harder than you think’ – Jimmy Hasselbaink believes £100k-a-week Chelsea player takes lot of risk for Tuchel Chelsea
Former Chelsea player Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was left very impressed with the £100,000-a-week star’s display on Sunday. Intriguingly, he was keen to point out the right-winger does some great work out of possession to go along with his individual quality when the ball is at his feet.
However, Hasselbaink believes that Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech works a lot harder off the ball than people generally think.
The 28 year old, has hit a mini purple patch of form after scoring in back-to-back Premier League matches.
The left-footed attacker put in an impressive display in his side’s 2-0 win against Tottenham on the weekend, which included a remarkable goal with his shot from outside of the box into the top corner.
His Blues career has been fairly inconsistent during 63 appearances for the London club, so everyone is now hoping it’s a turning point in his time at Stamford Bridge.
Hasselbaink told Sky Sports’ Main Event channel: “He was very good. He is a player that plays with a lot of risk, delivering balls, always looking forward, always trying to put a striker in,”
“I think his combination player today with Mason Mount was really good on the right-hand side… And he works a lot harder than you think off the ball to win the ball back.”
Meanwhile, Ziyech has given a snapshot recently into why Chelsea fans were so excited when he joined them from Ajax in 2020.
The dazzling wide player can be lethal on his favoured left foot, and he gives Thomas Tuchel’s side a completely fresh dynamic in the final third when he’s playing well.
Any Blues attacker knows they’ll have to work their socks off to stay in Tuchel’s XI.
It was a great all-round performance from Ziyech on the weekend, but when he’s struggling people often pick out flaws in his body language.
Chelsea know they’ve got a special talent on their books if he can fully recapture his Ajax form. They are crying out for a talisman in the attack right now as well.