Ziyech opens up on 'difficult' start to his Chelsea career

Hakim Ziyech has admitted to a tough start at Chelsea but remains confident he will be back to his best soon enough.

Hakim Ziyech is yet to hit full gear at Chelsea but is certain his best form is just around the corner.

The Moroccan joined the Blues from Ajax in January 2020 but did not join his new teammates until last summer.

Ziyech was expected to take the Blues attack to another dimension but he’s yet to live up to his reputation.

Since making his debut for the club, he has been plagued with injury struggles that have seen him fail to hit consistent heights. He only has eight starts from 11 total appearances in the Premier League so far.

However, the Dutchman is starting to find his feet again and believes he can stay fit enough to perform consistently for the Blues.

“At the beginning everything is new and it is nice but I really also love to be around my family and my mother and my brothers and friends, but at this time it is not possible,” Ziyech told Chelsea’s official website.

“So after a while it was a little bit difficult but you start to get used to it. I am now six or seven months here and I have started to adapt to things more and more.”

“Of course, the last six months did not go exactly how I wanted to think it would but it is what it is and you still need to keep improving.”

“I had that bad luck with my injury when I came in but still there is time.”

Ziyech started Thomas Tuchel’s first match in charge against Wolves, playing in his favored position on the right as an inside forward.

The 27-year-old excelled in that position while at Ajax and is confident he can get back to the kind of player he was with the Dutch giants.

He said: “It is a position where I love to play, without the ball having your responsibility but with the ball being free and trying to find space and trying to play football.”

“That is what I like the most. Get between the lines, find space, between the lines with the one or two touches. You have a lot of options.”

“Football is about details and there is just one moment you need to win the game, even when you have tried it six or seven times and it didn’t work.

Ziyech concluded: “It may be the eighth time it works and you can win the game. I am always thinking that if you don’t try, you don’t have possibilities. You always have to try to create options.”

“I know for sure I believe in myself that I can do it and I can reach the same level as I used to have at Ajax here at Chelsea.”