Graham Potter has explained the absence of Hakim Ziyech from his Chelsea side before the break and why he will be missing for the return of Premier League football next week. The Moroccan winger was one of Walid Regragui's star players in Qatar and helped them to a historic semi-final before losing to France, ending up fourth after being beaten by Croatia in the third place play-off.
For Ziyech it was a demonstration once more of the quality that he possesses, though that has been missing far too often since he joined Chelsea in 2020. The 29-year-old has fallen to the bottom of the pile for Graham Potter in attack after Thomas Tuchel also struggled to get the best out of him over 18 months.
His ability to create and make the most of magic moments was one of the standout reasons that Chelsea splashed out on him under Frank Lampard but those brief clips of skill have been far too brief in London.
