Let's focus on the numbers. In the 21 games Chelsea have played during the 2022/23 campaign thus far, Hakim Ziyech has featured for a total of 270 minutes. But in the four World Cup matches the winger has played for Morocco in Qatar, he has racked up 376 minutes. And there's more to come.
"He just looks like a happier player [with Morocco]," explained former Chelsea star Joe Cole ahead of the Atlas Lions' last-16 clash against Spain. "He’s had a very very difficult time at Chelsea, he’s not got any kind of rhythm to his game and he’s very much a rhythm type of player. He’s a technician, perhaps the Premier League doesn’t suit him. It's aggressive, up and down.
"When he was playing for Ajax in the Dutch league he could hug the touchline, the team could play through the lines, and give him the ball. He’s got a lovely left foot and he could come inside or deliver the ball. It hasn't worked for him [at Chelsea] but when we watch Ziyech here he’s playing with intensity and a smile on his face."
