Stephen Warnock not impressed by Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech in Morocco’s stalemate
As per BBC Live, former England defender and BBC pundit Stephen Warnock was not impressed by the performance of Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech in Morocco’s stalemate against Croatia.
Warnock talked about how the African side did not create enough chances after being resolute defensively. He pointed out Ziyech for having a very quiet second half of the game.
Morocco played out a goalless draw against 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia. On the face of it, this is a good point for them against a superior European side, but with Ziyech being one of their most high-profile players, much was expected from him.
Here’s what Warnock said regarding their performance and his comments on Ziyech (h/t BBC Live):
“Morocco haven’t created many opportunities, for all their hard work and endeavour. Ziyech has been very quiet in this second half.”
Before the tournament started, it was reported that Ziyech is determined to have a great World Cup to convince AC Milan to pull the trigger to sign him in January (Football.London).
The former Ajax winger has been at the fringes at Chelsea for quite some time now. He was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer too, but a move did not materialise. In the last few weeks, Milan chiefs did have a conversation with his representatives about a potential move.
Having not played much for the Blues this season, Ziyech felt short of match fitness during the game. He showed bits and pieces of quality but never got going to his maximum capacity. Maybe, we would see a better version of him. Morocco need their star man to deliver if they are to progress in Qatar.
From Chelsea’s viewpoint, with the future of the player all but decided, they would hope that he has a great World Cup. A good outing on the world stage would allow the Blues to ramp up the price tag on the player before selling him.
More Chelsea News:
- John Terry warns Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling of losing his place in the England XI
- Chris Sutton questions the performance of Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in Senegal defeat
- Christopher Nkunku is set to join Chelsea next summer with the deal nearly done
On the other hand, Graham Potter could get impressed by the 29-year-old’s form and get him back into the regular starting XI. We never know!