Thomas Tuchel Makes Excuses For Hakim Ziyech At Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel has blamed himself for Hakim Ziyech’s stalled progress at Chelsea.  

The Morocco forward has only featured twice under Tuchel.  

But German chief Tuchel is adamant he will need to call on the ex-Ajax as the hectic season unfolds, and challenged Ziyech to stay sharp.  

“It is my fault actually, not his; it is my hard decisions at the moment as well for Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and for Christian Pulisic sometimes in the half positions where we seem the strongest,” said Tuchel.  

“It is the same for Hakim at the moment and for some other players, there were hard decisions to make. It is never easy but it is a good thing, we have quality to make our decisions.  

“There are decisions for other players that means Hakim suffers, I can absolutely understand and agree with that so it is my responsibility and fault in this case that he cannot show more of his potential.  

“When I look at the schedule and rhythm for the next games I can be sure that we will need all of our players. No matter how hard things are for you personally, I can’t say one bad thing (about) Hakim. He had a good session yesterday and has shown he is ready.    

“When the moment comes we expect the best Hakim Ziyech. This is not easy, I can agree and understand but this is how it sometimes is during some moments at a club like Chelsea with a squad that keeps winning.  

“Sometimes you have to wait, he is not the only guy to suffer from these decisions and if he takes care and shows he is ready when he is needed, things will turn around again I am sure.”