Four things we learnt in Club World Cup semifinal: Chelsea 1-0 Al Hilal

2. Play through Hakim Ziyech

Over the past few weeks, Chelsea has seen a resurgence from former Ajax star Hakim Ziyech. He has been an essential cog in the Blues’ attack, even more so when transitioning from a 3-4-3 to a 4-1-4-1 as Thomas Tuchel has done lately. This run of form started in the semifinal of the Carabao Cup against Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of January, where he created two big chances.

He has been churning out top performances ever since, often helping his side turn possession into chances, and sometimes, very high quality chances. It’s clear that getting Ziyech as involved in the game as often as possible should be the aim of the Chelsea attackers from here on out. Ziyech’s recent performances can be condensed down and summarized by his outing in the game against Plymouth Argyle (I know, stay with me). The Moroccan earned the highest SofaScore rating (9.1/10), despite not registering either a goal or an assist. Ziyech’s ability to stand out—despite not scoring or assisting—shows why he’s one of the first names on the team sheet.

Chelsea’s more coordinated and dangerous chances came from Ziyech’s area of the pitch against Al Hilal, though the goal came from a play down the right side. Unfortunately, the Blues did not get Ziyech nearly as involved as they should have throughout the first 70 minutes, but despite that, the Moroccan was one of Chelsea’s best and most influential players. Ziyech created the most chances (three). in addition winning the most tackles (four) for his side. He also attempted (nine) and completed (three) the most crosses of anyone on the pitch. Ziyech contested the most duels for Chelsea (17) and completed the most dribbles (four) of anyone on the pitch too. Now, imagine if the Blues had involved him as much as they should have in the contest.