Chelsea
boss Frank Lampard says he is "excited" at the prospect of seeing
summer-signing Hakim Ziyech make his debut against Southampton on Saturday.
Ziyech joined Chelsea from Ajax in a £33.3m deal but suffered a knee injury
in a pre-season friendly at Brighton on August 29, which has prevented him
from making his competitive debut.
The 27-year-old played 30 minutes as a substitute for Morocco in a friendly
against Senegal last weekend, and is now in line to make a return to club
action as Chelsea host Southampton.
"Hakim Ziyech is in the squad - not fit to start but fit to participate some
minutes we hope," Lampard said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
"We brought Hakim here and it feels like a long time ago now but he also has
not played since the Dutch league finished during lockdown period.
"It's a long time and he's worked so hard. He's been fantastic in terms of
his professionalism to get fit and looks really good in training.
"Just game minutes is what we need now but yes of course I'm excited to get
him in and around it and to bring what we brought him to the club for, which
is the opportunity to create chances for us, to be the talented player that
he is."
'Competition for places a nice problem'
Lampard also welcomed the return to full fitness of another Chelsea's
winger, Christian Pulisic, who is available to make his first start of the
season having recovered from a hamstring injury.
Pulisic played seven minutes as a substitute in Chelsea's final game before
the international break against Crystal Palace and has further built up his
fitness levels since.
The duo's return creates intense competition for places in Chelsea's forward
roles, with Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi also vying to
play behind either Timo Werner, Tammy Abraham or Olivier Giroud up front.
"Any team that wants to compete towards the top of the league, or Champions
League, and playing in the FA Cup needs more than one player per position
and needs to be competitive across the front area," Lampard said.
"We had it last year - we lost Willian, we lost Pedro, we lost (Michy)
Batshuayi, - so we've brought in players that brings the same level of
competition in terms of numbers and I feel like the quality levels and some
of the options, of course you bring them in because you want to improve.
"It's up to the players, of course, it will always remain up to them in
terms of their performance and at the same time gives me nice problems, in
terms of we can hopefully be selecting players and we can use them through
the season, we'll have options to come off the bench, so I'm happy with what
some people might call a problem in that area."
'Rudiger has same opportunity as every
other player'
There is also fierce competition for places at the other end of the pitch,
with Chelsea having held on to all of their centre-backs before the transfer
window closed.
Despite being fully fit, Antonio Rudiger failed to make an appearance for
Chelsea before the international break amid speculation linking him with a
move away from Stamford Bridge.
The 27-year-old played all three of Germany's matches during the break, and
Lampard insists he as much chance as any other player in the squad of
holding down a first-team place.
"Every player can play their way into the starting 11, the squad, that's in
every players hands," Lampard said. "That's how I try and work here.
"So the players all know that and the beauty of the window now being shut is
that we can get to work and know what the squad is.
"Everybody knows that they can contribute and we will need them and rely on
them because of the amount of games we play and Toni is the same as every
other player on that one."
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