"Tore them to shreds" - Micah Richards lauds Chelsea star's 'outstanding' display against Tottenham
Micah Richards was full of praise for Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech for his performance against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night. The Moroccan scored a stunning goal to help the Blues take the lead against Tottenham in their 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Conte's men fell to Thomas Tiuchel's side for the third time in as many weeks. Chelsea had defeated Tottenham twice in the Carabao Cup semi-final earlier this month.
Just on repeat. ⏪
#CheTot https://t.co/MJUUe6flLV
Richards was on Match of the Day 2 when he spoke about Ziyech's performance. The former Manchester City defender said the Chelsea star tore Tottenham to shreds and was the best player on the pitch.
"Ziyech was outstanding today, to be honest. He was everywhere on the pitch. And this is the Ziyech we were used to seeing when at Ajax before. Since he signed, he's not really lived up to the reputation. He doesn't know where he wants to play or his best position in this system. But against this Spurs team, he tore them to shreds.
"This is what we want to see of him, because he's got so much ability. This is what I like most about him; possession won, first, ten times. And that's what we want to see from Ziyech because he's got so much ability, but we just want to see it a little bit more now," Richards said.
Thomas Tuchel praises Chelsea's Ziyech
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his slight tweak in formation saw Hakim Ziyech go back to his best.
He's magic! 🪄 https://t.co/SMvj4lURY5
The Chelsea manager added that they played the 4-1-4-1 formation, which saw the Moroccan star play out wide, instead of cutting inside and leaving the flank open for the wing-backs.
"It was one of [Ziyech's] best matches today because he was very reliable. It was also maybe his best position to be on the wing. We had the wide position on the right-wing; that position does not normally exist in that particular manner when we play 3-4-3, it is more of a wing-back. Maybe we can think about doing this. It was good because it gave him the opportunity to take risks where it was possible to take risks," Tuchel said after the match.
The Blues face Plymouth next in the FA Cup before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup.