Lampard explains attacking selection and praises Ziyech performance
Frank Lampard has heaped praise on Hakim Ziyech after his performance in last night’s Champions League win over Krasnodar.
The winger opened his account for Chelsea with a goal in the second half of the 4-0 win.
And Lampard, who revealed the thinking behind starting the Moroccan along with Callum Hudson-Odoi, was clearly impressed.
“Hakim Ziyech was fit today, the first time he’s really been fit to start a game,” the Chelsea boss said. “He has worked really hard to be fit and I was very keen to get his quality into the team. We saw that for the whole period he was on the pitch. He brought a lot of quality and calmness and got a well deserved goal.
“With Callum on the left I felt he deserved a chance to play. He’s trained very well recently, we have competition in those areas and we’re also in the middle of a very busy patch of games so we need input from all the attacking players.
“I thought his [Ziyech’s] performance was very very good when you consider he hasn’t started a match since March when the Dutch league finished. So I have been very excited to get him on the pitch so it has been frustrating for me and for him and us that his injury hasn’t allowed him to start.
“But what I have seen in training so far and what I knew we were signing as a player was a player with immense quality and personality to receive the ball, assists and find goals. We saw a lot of glimpses of that today. We brought him in to do a job and maybe people have forgotten a bit because we signed him in January and he missed the start of the season. Tonight, he certainly showed he is here.”
Hazard has vowed to return to Chelsea in future
Eden Hazard could one day link up with Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and co. having made clear his desire to return to Chelsea in the future.
The Belgian winger joined Real Madrid last year in an £83.53million deal, bringing to an end a hugely successful seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
But the 29-year-old, back in December, vowed to move back to Chelsea when his time in the Spanish capital is up.
“When I finish here I’ll come back,” Hazard said. Asked if he watches his former team play on TV, Hazard responded: “Yeah, when I can I watch. Not all the time.
“They are doing well, they’re young. Now they can pay for players, they can buy players now.
“I do my job here and then I come back.”
Arsenal legend praises former Chelsea striker
Ian Wright has hailed the impact of Didier Drogba at Chelsea.
The Ivorian striker spent eight years at Stamford Bridge, scoring 164 goals for the club and inspiring his team to success in the Premier League and Champions League.
And former Arsenal forward Wright has admitted his admiration for Drogba.
“The thing with him [Drogba], I think he was in danger of people judging him for the antics, for going down too easy for a big man,” Wright said on the Wrighty’s House podcast.
“But in respect to the number nine, and the way he played that role on his own up there, just covering all the bases, literally doing everything.
“Scoring the goals, linking up the play, taking free-kicks, getting assists. He was the one, for me, that made people say, ‘that’s where we need to go, that’s how we’ve got to do it’.”
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
