Zagreb’s Reece James and Hakim Ziyech free-kick spat sums up Chelsea’s woes – with the wanton winger WINning the range – as Andy Townsend says: ‘It looks like Thomas Tuchel is struggling with his squad.’
- Chelsea’s Reece James and Hakim Ziyech argued over who should take the free-kick
- Ziyech had previously smashed a promising set piece right into the wall
- Defender James was about to take second but the Moroccan pulled away the rank
- The Blues suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat by Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday
- Andy Townsend said it looks like boss Thomas Tuchel is “fighting” with the squad.
Reece James and Hakim Ziyech quarreled on the pitch in Chelsea’s surprise Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb.
The Blues suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat by the Croatian side on Tuesday night to continue their shaky start to the season.
And their worries in the Croatian capital were summed up by James and Ziyech’s angry spitting over a late free-kick – and Andy Townsend added it looks like frustrated boss Thomas Tuchel “looks like he’s struggling” with the side.
Reece James (right) and Hakim Ziyech (left) argued on the pitch during Chelsea’s surprise 1-0 Champions League defeat by Dinamo Zagreb, summing up the current tension at the club
The Blues were awarded a free kick in the 96th minute which gave them a chance to equalize late on
A moment in particular at Stadion Maksimir highlighted the tension in the squad when Chelsea were awarded a free-kick from a promising position in the 96th minute, giving them a chance to equalize at the last minute.
Moroccan winger Ziyech, who was berated by fans for his “disaster class” after coming on as a half-time substitute and failing to score, after already rolling a free-kick into the wall from 25 yards out, demanded that he take it also takes a free kick.
James, one of the few Chelsea players to emerge with some credit that night, protested with Ziyech, shrugging in frustration and trying to make his point – without captain Jorginho stepping in to mediate.
Defender James looked to take the set piece after Ziyech smashed the last one into the wall
But the Moroccan fumed and insisted he take it, leading to James showing his frustration
As winger Ziyech prepared to take the free-kick, James stood very close, hands on hips
But the former Ajax wideman pulled off Rang, throwing his arms in the air and covering his mouth before saying anything to James, who then partially turned away and raised a hand in contempt and smiled humorlessly.
As Ziyech set up the free-kick, Mason Mount stepped back but James stood very close to the ball, hands on hips to show his frustration. Ziyech then hit the ball into the wall again.
Speaking on BT Sport’s comment, pundit Martin Keown asked: “Where’s the lead there?”
