Hakim Ziyech interview 10 questions
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| Hakim Ziyech in action for Chelsea against Wolves |
Since signing from Ajax in the 2020/21, the skills of Hakim Ziyech have been clear to see, not that Chelsea supporters were not fully aware of them already following his man of the match performance that he put in against Chelsea whilst playing for Ajax.
Currently, the 27 year old has had an interrupted start to his career at Stamford Bridge however, he is now fit and available. In an exclusive interview given he tells us about joining a new club during the Covid-19 pandemic but, also delves back in time and tells us how his soccer skills have developed in an edition of 10 questions with.
Here are the questions that Ziyech was asked
1) Just like the most famous Dutchman at Chelsea Ruud Gullit, you grew up playing street football as well as going through the youth development system in the Netherlands which is famous for producing skilful and technical players. How did those two aspects in your upbringing make you the player you are?
For me street football has always been different from professional football. A key aspect which you take from the street is mentality, for me I have always played with guys who are bigger than me because I was the youngest, but at the same time I was able to play well because the older guys played the game hard.
So you get that kind of mentality and I have been used to it, but when you start to think about becoming a professional footballer then it is a different mentality altogether but the mentality I got from street football I would look to apply it on the pitch.
With professional football there are other things which you have to improve. you need to be strong because professional football although nice it takes a lot of things. Sometimes you have to suffer. I remember when I was young I had to leave home at 13 or 14 an age where you are still in the child stage, where you could live and enjoy your life as a child, there were some moments where I was unable to and I suffered as a result because you are always constantly thinking football, football, football.
The Dutch academies are always busy teaching you new stuff whilst allowing you to do things based on instinct. in other words do things which you are the best and keep improving at that. You have responsibility when you don't have the ball but also as a team when we do have the ball, you are able to be free, that's one of the biggest things you learn in Holland. Just be free and enjoy playing football.
2) Tell us about the earliest coaching you had?
I began football at the age of five, to me it was a lot of fun. On Saturday mornings and afternoons you are in a team but after the game you are having a kick about with your friends. I was 10 or 11 when I entered a professional academy but before that I played football for the sheer enjoyment of the game , playing it everywhere, next to the houses or at school. Wherever it was possible to play football, I played football.
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| Ziyech in action for Ajax against Heerenveen |
3) Explain to us how you have developed into a left footed player who plays on the right hand side as supposed to the left?
During my time at the academy I always played in midfield, when I started for the first team I was in the no10 role, then four or five years ago I started going out wide as my coach told me that I had more freedom to do what I wanted to do with the ball. He said that by going out wide you could bring your creativity and have a free role, where you can find space whether it's on the right, the left or in the middle. He told me just be free and use your creativity as often as you can.
4) We have recently seen you play more often as an inside-forward is this a position you enjoy playing in?
Yes, certainly it is a position where I love to play, with the ball not having your responsibility but with it being free and trying to find space and play football. This is what I enjoy the most. Getting in-between the lines, finding space in-between the lines with one or two touch passes. Especially in a position such as this where you have lots of options because your constantly thinking is the defender going to come out, yes or no? If he isn't coming then you can turn around and find the striker or the left or right winger in space. It is a position which provides you with a lot of options.
5) What skills did you have to work on when you were young and developing your game?
A key skill which I was working on was improving my strength because I was not a big guy, I was a skinny guy, I always had question marks over whether I would make it as a footballer because of my body. This is where I had to work on the most but of course every day is a learning curve , even in training, even with your good points you are still learning things about them. When you are playing every couple of days you are trying to maintain and improve doesn't matter it the points are good or bad, the point is you are always improving.
My passing skills have come naturally to me as I like to play what I see. Even if people don't see the space they always attempt to find that space. Even if people are thinking that the impossible is not possible, it is always possible, Si this is something which I have been working on, even if it is something that doesn't go the way you want it to. I am always the type of individual who keeps trying an trying and in the end it will usually work.
Football is a game all about the details as there is always one moment which can win you the game, even if you have tried something lets say six or seven times and it doesn't work. There is a possibility it may work the eighth time and can win you the game. My philosophy is that if you don't try something then you don't have possibilities. You always have to try and create possible options.
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| Ziyech's touchmap against Wolves underlines how hard he worked away from the wing |
6) How did you come to have your nickname the wizard?
I remember playing one game at Ajax and I had a great game, after the game one of the guys who runs Ajax's social media accounts posted something with that name, from that moment onwards people started calling me that. It's funny because even now, I remember leaving Ajax and coming to Chelsea but I went back to Holland a couple of times, I remember walking down the street and people would call me the wizard. Also on social media a lot of people use the wizard emoji also.
7) You learnt most of your game in Europe but is your style of by influenced by your North African heritage in any way?
As a youngster I went to Morocco a lot but after a while I did not go there as often. For this question my reply will be yes and no. Growing up young you had to play on the streets or wherever, you didn't have the things you could have in Europe as you played on the sand, you play on the street and you see broken things everywhere. What makes it harder is when you fall over you never know what is on the ground. I have seen crazy things on the ground and have cut myself open.
8) In an earlier interview you did after joining Chelsea you said your aim was to play the same style in the premier league as you did at Ajax. Has this been possible for you?
Yes I have been able to do this. Certainly, the last six months have not gone exactly as I would have wanted to but simply it is what it is and you need to keep improving. I have had a bad luck with my injury when I arrived but there is still time. I know for sure and believe that I can do it and hope to reach the same level I had with Ajax at Chelsea.
9) Did you know about London before your transfer?
I have been twice. Last season with Ajax when we played Chelsea and the season before that when we played Tottenham, prior to that I had never been to London before.
It's very difficult to find out more about the city because of the times we are living in currently, hopefully better times come for me to see more of the city.
10) Despite a couple of injuries and the problems caused as a result of the pandemic, do you feel fully settled at Chelsea?
Of course, Yes. I have been here for six to seven months now and I have started to adapt to more and more things. At the beginning everything is new and nice but I also love to be surrounded with my family including my mum, brothers and friends, but at the current time it is not possible. So after a while it was difficult but then you start getting used to it.
I have not had the opportunity to meet the fans properly yet. The fans only had one game where they were able to come and watch and unfortunately I got injured after playing 25 minutes against Leeds. Hopefully there will be better times to come and everybody will be able to come to the stadium.
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