The Blues recorded their first victory under Thomas Tuchel in a 2-0 win over Burnley, in his second match, after an unsatisfactory 0-0 draw against Wolves.
However, his first eleven choice notably had two absentees – Hakim Ziyech and Billy Gilmour. Although Billy Gilmour’s intention to make a loan move has been circulating all around the Bridge for some time now, Ziyech’s absence came as somewhat of a surprise.
Ziyech, who was Frank Lampard’s first signing as a manager, was brought in for a hefty fee of €40 million (£35m/$50m) from Ajax in February 2019. He started last time against Wolves, playing 80 minutes before being substituted, and was touted to be a part of Tuchel’s team again against the Clarets.
Tuchel has now explained his decision to leave out the Moroccan, justifying:
Thomas Tuchel on Ziyech absence:
“He has been in a bit of overload since five weeks so he has a bit of a risk of getting injured if he plays more than say 30 minutes. For that we decided to take a break now to go out of the risk zone.”
[via @ChelseaFC]
— Talk Chelsea (@talkchelsea) January 31, 2021
Ziyech has recorded 18 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring two and assisting four in the process (transfermarkt)
He will be looking to start in next weekend’s derby against fellow Londoners Tottenham Hotspur.
