Chelsea News Roundup: Star midfielder feels underappreciated, Werner on his assist against Manchester City, and more - 18th April 2021
Chelsea registered a solitary goal win in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, thanks to a second-half Hakim Ziyech strike.
The Blues are also alive in the race for the top four in the Premier League this season. They now have a serious chance of lifting silverware under their new boss, who became the first-ever German to steer a team to the FA Cup final.
The resilient performance saw Chelsea keep a shut-out, something teams tend to struggle to do against Manchester City. On that note, let's take a look at the top Chelsea news stories as on April 18.
Also Read: Chelsea News Roundup: Star forward left out of Manchester City clash, Blues targeting move for Barcelona youngster, and more - 17th April, 2021.
Jorginho feels underappreciated at Chelsea
Jorginho was arguably Chelsea's best player in the 1-0 win over Manchester City. His response against City's press, poise in the middle and overall awareness portrayed why Pep Guardiola was keen on snapping him up three years back.
However, due to his lack of pace and other tactical reasons, Jorginho has been criticised by Chelsea fans and pundits alike.
Speaking after the Manchester City game, Jorginho said:
"Ups and downs? You need to look at the numbers, and the numbers are not like that. I received a lot of criticism, and I can accept that. Everybody has an opinion and I don’t always agree, but I can respect it".
Jorginho continued:
"It motivates me to work harder and do better and keep proving they are wrong. Sometimes I do feel unappreciated, but I don’t get disappointed. This is a great moment for me — a great moment for the team — but we can’t get too comfortable".
Timo Werner talks about his assist for Hakim Ziyech
Timo Werner has scored just two goals in close in his last 30 appearances for Chelsea. But he was among the assists once again, as he set up Hakim Ziyech's goal with a peach of a pass.
The Chelsea forward, providing a sneak peek of his thought process before he squared the ball to the Moroccan, said:
"It was a good pass from Mason ,and then I saw Hakim, and the only thing I was thinking about was to put the ball in the middle so he could score, and it was good that I put the ball right there".
Werner, who has recorded 12 assists for Chelsea besides winning a handful of penalties, continued:
"When you don’t score you have to help the team with a lot of things, and at the moment I help the team with assists. It is not my main target, but I could help with a good assist to win the game, so I am very happy with that, and I am not the type of guy who only wants to score".
Hakim Ziyech expresses his delight on scoring for Chelsea
Despite remaining on the sidelines for over seven months and not getting a run-in under Tuchel, Hakim Ziyech has been scoring some key goals for Chelsea.
The winger, whose tap-in separated Manchester City and Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, remarked:
“Timo did a good run into the space. I made my run; it was a good delivery, and I put it in easy. You always have to have that feeling before the game that you want to score. It feels good to be in the final. Everybody is happy. We did a good job, especially in the first half".
He continued in this regard:
“The second half was a little bit difficult to close all the spaces, but we scored the one goal that we needed. It was enough".