Hakim Ziyech: What does the season hold?

After Eden Hazard left Chelsea for Real Madrid in summer 2019, the Blues were engulfed by uncertainty.

The West London side were going into the new season without their talisman, who contributed 31 of their 63 goals in 2018/19, astonishingly 49 percent of their tally. Even more worrisome was how a two-window transfer ban, later reduced to one, meant the Premier League giants couldn’t replace their mercurial playmaker.

Then-head coach Maurizio Sarri then returned to Serie A with Juventus, and the Blues went for an unconventional option in club legend Frank Lampard as his replacement, putting them in uncharted territory. Chelsea’s all-time top scorer walked into the job having had just one year of managerial experience under his belt at Derby County, without the club’s best player and unable to replace the Belgian.

Pundits felt Chelsea didn’t have a prayer as regards securing a top four finish, the club’s supporters were ready to write off the season and give Lampard time in a difficult job.

However, encouraging performances in the opening weeks, followed by an amazing run in the autumn where they won six league games on the spin, saw pre-season expectations adjusted. The struggles of top four rivals like Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur enhanced the five-time Premier League winners’ chances of ending in the sought-after European spots.

Despite a poor run in the winter months, Lampard’s troops found some consistency to win six of their last nine fixtures post-lockdown to end in the Champions League positions.

Chelsea confirmed the signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner either side of the pandemic, which got fans excited even before last term ended. A discouraging FA Cup defeat by Arsenal and disastrous UCL elimination by eventual winners Bayern Munich threaten to dampen spirits, but further additions in the summer, especially the acquisition of Kai Havertz, has lifted spirits immeasurably.

With the excitement in West London oh-so palpable, what does 2020/21 have in store for Ziyech, the Morocco star who began the two-time Europa League winners’ spending spree?

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The story of last season

It was always hard for Ajax to repeat their 2019/20 exploits last year and so it proved. They were surprisingly eliminated in the group stage of their Champions League group containing Valencia, Chelsea and Lille, despite arguably being the best side of the quartet.

Their Europa League campaign didn’t go according to plan either, with sturdy Getafe beating them 3-2 on aggregate.

Unfortunately for Erik ten Hag’s side, the Eredivisie was curtailed early due to the coronavirus pandemic, meaning Ziyech couldn’t sign off with a second Dutch top flight title.

On a personal front, the Morocco maverick was named Ajax Player of the Season for a third time on the trot after yet another brilliant campaign.

His performances in the Champions League made him one of the best performers in those opening six games and his four assists was just two shy of Paris-Saint Germain finalist Angel Di Maria, one behind Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe and level with Neymar and Joshua Kimmich.

Domestically, he recorded 12 assists (only teammate, Dusan Tadic, with 14) had more and hit the back of the net six times. Significantly, the playmaker fashioned out 23 big chances, the same as Tadic, despite playing four fewer games (25 to 21) and averaging lesser minutes per game (87 to 77) in 19/20.

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Any transfer rumours?

Given he’s only just put down roots in West London, it’ll take an unexpected turn of events for reports of a move away to spring up!

One hope for 2020/21

That he dovetails with the new buys and older players and shows the creative genius that Chelsea sometimes lacked last year despite ending third behind Manchester City and Liverpool for goals scored and big chances created.

On the surface, the Blues should be beneficiaries of Ziyech’s ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat with his creativity and bold shooting.

Having seen Christian Pulisic do that to some extent in 19/20 to announce himself as one of the league’s brightest young players, there’s a level of expectation for Ziyech, now in his prime, to do likewise and then some.

Goal's Chelsea correspondent Nizaar Kinsella believes Ziyech can become one of the best creative forces in the competition.

"[I hope that] Frank Lampard calls upon his talents to play on the right hand side of a front three," Kinsella began, "and he will particularly need him in games against lesser opposition in the league which can sit deep and be hard to break down.

"That was a problem for Chelsea last season."

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One fear for 2020/21

Asides the uncertainty over whether Ziyech can sustain his high numbers in England, his high-risk-high-reward style could be an issue in West London. In truth, it can be amazing when it comes off (case in point: audacious efforts away at Valencia and at Stamford Bridge) but equally exasperating when he’s having a bad day.

Of course, there’ll be games where the North African irritates fans and probably even teammates with his penchant for shooting from seemingly impossible positions, but Lampard will hope the ex-Ajax man has more good days than bad.

Whether this will prove to be an issue for the maverick in the medium to long-term still remains to be seen.

For Kinsella, the main concen is that the step up from the Eredivisie proves too much.

"With the speed of the game and the physicality higher, it could lead to him not getting to grips with the league," he continued. "He is 27, so he will want to do so quicker than most.

"For every Ruud van Nistelrooy who has made the step, there is also a Mateja Kezman who has struggled."

Goal’s prediction for the season

When all the mitigating factors like a shorter summer break, little pre-season and how to fit Havertz, Werner, Ziyech and Pulisic in the side are put aside, every Chelsea supporter is looking forward to the season.

Many fans had expected this summer's talent influx to take three windows or thereabouts but the higher-ups at Stamford Bridge have brought in top quality players, on paper at least, in one window.

It will be sensible to ease the new boys in despite their hefty transfer fees as the Blues look to close the gap on Liverpool and Man City and also compete strongly on the continent.

As for Ziyech, what separates him from Werner and Havertz is that nearly every Tom, Dick and Harry knows he’ll be deployed as a wide playmaker on the right flank. The same can’t be said for the German forward or talented attacking midfielder as there's still a level of uncertainty about how Lampard elects to utilise them.

Even though the team still look short in defensive midfield and centre-back, there's general optimism that Chelsea can finish inside the top three.

With new boys Ziyech, Havertz and Werner, in addition to the hugely talented Pulisic, Chelsea ought to flourish in 2020/21 as they hone in on the Reds and City. Who knows, maybe they might even challenge for the title if the favourites’ standards slip significantly.