Tuchel told to start Chelsea’s ‘Mahrez’ against Madrid, Blues target £120,000-a-week Juventus star, as Andreas Christensen set massive defensive record
Hakim Ziyech has endured a mixed debut season in West London, struggling to nail down a regular place in the side but popping up with some important goals for Thomas Tuchel’s team.
The highlight of the Moroccan’s season is undoubtedly his strike that saw Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley to ensure a place in the FA Cup final later this month.
However, Talking to ESPN about the midfielder, Leboeuf said: “I’m concerned about Hakim Ziyech. If he plays, why doesn’t he [Tuchel] put him on the right?
“I saw him today very frustrated when he came off after playing like a number 10. I don’t think that’s his real position.
“Tuchel really has to think that Ziyech has to play on the right side. It’s like [Riyad] Mahrez, he’s a copy-cat of Mahrez.
“I don’t see [Pep] Guardiola putting Mahrez in another position than on the right side.”
Ziyech struggled to exert his influence during the 2-0 home win over local rivals Fulham, and was hauled off just after the hour mark for N’Golo Kante.
The fact Ziyech was handed a start was more surprising, a luxury he has only been granted on 14 occasions in the Premier League this season.
Blues target £120,000-a-week Juventus star
Chelsea have improved greatly since Thomas Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard as coach at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are seated comfortably at the fourth spot on the Premier league table and are also one of the favourites that could win the Uefa Champions League this season.
With the achievement Tuchel has achieve at Stamford Bridge, the Blues board will certainly give him the support he needs when the summer transfer window opens.
According to the reports, Tuchel is keen on signing Adrien Rabiot from Juventus.
While Paulo Dybala could be staying put at Juventus, Rabiot may be on the move.
The reports revealed that he will be available for just £17million this summer as Juventus look to offload the £120,000-per-week midfielder.
That’s according to Calciomercato, which adds Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is keen to reunite with the player he worked with at Paris Saint-Germain PSG.
However, Chelsea will face competition from Spanish giant, Barcelona, who are also keen on Rabiot and it is believed his mother, Veronique, has been in touch with Camp Nou chiefs over a summer transfer.
We will have to wait till when the summer transfer window commences to know if Chelsea will make the move for him.
Andreas Christensen set massive defensive record
Chelsea did well to beat Fulham 2-0 at home on Saturday, and it was yet another defensive solid performance from the Blues.
Thomas Tuchel has turned Chelsea into a clean sheet giant, and scoring against the Blues is now a very difficult task.
Following the win against Fulham, Chelsea have now kept a shutout 30 times in all competitions this season. That is a figure unmatched by any other top-flight side in European football this term.
For Andreas Christensen, the Dane started on the right side of the back three, and the 25-year-old helped Chelsea keep another clean sheet, which is the eighth in succession the Blues have kept when Christensen has started in the Premier League.
Speaking after the game, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was pleased with the team’s performance as he said: “It was a very important win. I am very proud. Between two big semi-finals it is so hard to be full on, and we knew that Fulham gives everybody a hard time.
“They make you under-perform, work hard and suffer, and you can not get confused by the table. That’s why I have the highest respect for what we did today.”