Chelsea vs Villarreal: Three lessons learnt in Super Cup triumph

2. Keep an eye out for Hakim Ziyech this season

Hakim Ziyech was one of the very few players who had an impressive preseason for the Blues and after being named in the starting line-up against Villarreal, the Moroccan international didn’t fail to impress. Ziyech continued his impressive form and opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 27′ by cleanly putting away Havertz’s cross from the edge of the box. His overall gameplay was also very good up until the 41′ mark, when the 28-year-old sustained a shoulder injury. He was replaced by Christian Pulisic and spent the rest of the contest on the sideline with his arm in a sling.

Hopefully Ziyech’s injury is not very serious as it came just when it seemed the Moroccan Magician  was showing what he is capable of to spectators. He has been unlucky with injuries so far in his career as it seems every time his form begins to impress he winds up with a freak injury.

The fact that Chelsea’s level of performance without Ziyech looked like it fell off a cliff is concerning, but very telling. Sloppy passes being given away in the final third and the lack of creativity was very evident when Ziyech came off. The Moroccan can turn out to be an important player for Tuchel this season due to his ability to play on both wings, as an attacking midfielder playing behind two strikers, or even as a false nine. His wide range of passing makes him a playmaker, which will help Chelsea break down defenses and his ability to get in goalscoring positions makes him difficult to mark for opposition defenders. Seeing the improvement in his performances—in comparison to last season—really makes one believe that all he needed was a full preseason under his belt to show his quality.