PREMIER - Tuchel on Ziyech, "There is something slowing him down"

It doesn't look like Hakim Ziyech will make his return for Chelsea this weekend. The former Ajax player did not play this month and the exact reason for his absence remains unclear. Trainer Thomas Tuchel tried to explain this Friday afternoon during his press moment.

Ziyech is said to still be suffering from the shoulder injury that kept him sidelined at the start of this season. Since then, however, the midfielder has already played a number of matches, but that was not yet 100 percent. "I still don't feel that he is completely pain-free in his shoulder," Tuchel explained during his press conference.

"Even when he's not in pain, there's something unconsciously holding him back in his movements and his freedom to turn, speed up and slow down," he continued. "We have to be patient and give him time to fight back in the team. We will not lose our confidence and patience with him. He will definitely remain an important player for us."

It was clear from Tuchel's words that Ziyech will not be there on Saturday when Chelsea receive Norwich City at 1:30 pm. Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku, who were both injured in the Champions League match against Malmö FF, are also not there. About them Tuchel could at least confirm that they will miss the next two games. "We'll see after that."