Chelsea players Hakim Ziyech and Carney Chukwuemeka both took to Instagram to praise teammate Denis Zakaria for his performance against Dinamo Zagreb last night.
The Switzerland international was making his first appearance of any capacity for the Blues last night, and he certainly took his opportunity to the full extent.
He scored the second for the hosts of the evening, after Raheem Sterling had put the side on their way to a comeback victory in the Champions League.
Zakaria combined his goal with an impressive performance in midfield, before he was forced off after 70 minutes with a knock.
His dominant showing caught the eye of some of his teammates, with Ziyech and Chukwuemeka leaving praise in the comments of Zakaria’s Instagram post.
The former Aston Villa man was cruelly ruled out of last night’s game, with him surely set for a start based on the importance of the game after the Blues topping the group.
Zakaria impresses teammates
Ziyech meanwhile will again be frustrated that he wasn’t given his chance. He was an unused substitute while the likes of Zakaria shined.
The 25-year-old will have been delighted to finally be on the pitch at Stamford Bridge. Reports had begun to swirl that he was struggling to gain the trust of manager Graham Potter.
Now though, the former Brighton boss may be considering starting him for this Sunday’s massive London derby with Arsenal.
With the electric form Mikel Arteta’s team have shown this season, defensive solidity in the midfield could be on the agenda for the Blues despite being at home.
Injuries could give Zakaria an even better chance to play on Sunday.
Both N’golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic were ruled out of last night’s game through injury. The Frenchman will definitely not be present for Sunday.
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