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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said his team lacked the creativity of injured winger Hakim Ziyech, who could return in the Blues’ next scheduled game against Manchester City on Sunday.
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Ziyech walked away with a hamstring injury during Chelsea’s win over Leeds United on December 5 and the Blues have won just one of their five league games since then, losing three and drawing 1-1 on Monday. with Aston Villa.
“I think with Hakim, the way he was playing, he was being very effective for us in terms of assists, goal creation, opportunity creation and some goals,” Lampard said.
“We were very fluid at the time. You are going to miss players of that level when they leave and we want it back.”
Lampard said he was hopeful that Ziyech could show up on Sunday if the game continues: Manchester City’s game against Everton on Monday was canceled due to new COVID-19 cases reported in City.
The Blues coach praised the passing of Callum Hudson-Odoi, another Chelsea winger, who got off to a rare start for the Blues on Monday after impressing as a second-half substitute in a 3-1 loss to Arsenal on Monday. Saturday.
“The next obvious part is the end product,” Lampard said, urging Hudson-Odoi to step up in terms of assists and touchdowns.
“When you look at the numbers that the best wingers produced in the Premier League in recent years, Callum definitely has the capabilities and that will be the next stage for him,” he said.
Monday’s result was the second straight outing in which Christian Pulisic spent the entire match. The United States star had been upset by injuries earlier in the season that forced him to miss significant time.
“Christian was really brilliant throughout the game. It’s great for him, in terms of his fitness, to play two games in such a short time,” Pulisic said. “He created a lot of opportunities, he had a chance himself when he hit the side net and it looked like he was inside, but overall he was really brilliant.”
