Chelsea star excluded from national team and could miss AFCON

Chelsea was handed a disciplinary charge by the FA only a couple of days ago, however, it seems like another one of its players has been reprimanded for alleged bad behavior. According to reports, Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech has been excluded from the Moroccan national team due to his attitude. This is a big problem for the Blues as it paints the club in a bad light if one of its star players is questioned for his off-field conduct.

According to the Moroccan coach, Ziyech was unwilling to participate in the two friendlies back in June. Vahid Halilhodzic alleged that the former Ajax star pretended to be injured and was not pleased after the doctors had cleared him to be fit. This is not the first time he has had a problem with the national team either. In 2017 when Herve Renard was the head coach of the team, Ziyech was left out of the Africa Cup of Nations due to a similar problem in training. Nevertheless, in a sense, this could prove to be a big advantage for the Blues.

Chelsea could benefit from Hakim Ziyech’s exclusion for Morocco if he misses the Africa Cup of Nations later this year

The 28-year-old naturally claims that the whole story is not being revealed to the public, but all that is not important to us right now. What is important, however, is that a Chelsea player has been omitted from the World Cup qualifiers by his coach. While this is sad for the Moroccans, it is good news for the Blues as one of their players will be able to train with them mid-week before the game against Aston Villa next Saturday.

Ziyech, who recently recovered from a shoulder injury, will also be fresh for the match against the Claret and Blues. This is a huge advantage for the Blues as players such as Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Jorginho and a few others will be exhausted after their international matches a few days prior. Thomas Tuchel will have to play some of the players who have been benched until now in the name of rotation; Ziyech is undoubtedly in the mix. Having Ziyech on the pitch fresh on Sep. 11 will be a huge boost for the club. Not only is he one of the best players in the attack, but he is also one of the most creative players on the planet.

All of this being said, the row with his national team manager could have bigger consequences. The Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for January 2022, was thought to be taking away Ziyech from his club side for an entire month. The last time when he had an argument with one of his national team coaches, he was left out of the tournament. Ziyech could find himself in a similar situation.

This would be a big hit to his international career. However, for the Blues, it will be a big boost as they will be able to keep the winger after the Christmas break. Tuchel should still have a talk with the experienced attacker about the situation and make sure he is ready to play for the club. This would have not been a problem had it been an isolated incident, but since it has already happened before, the club needs to know whether Ziyech is ready to give his 100 percent for Chelsea or not.

Do you think Ziyech being left out of the World Cup qualifiers is an advantage for the Blues? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!