Zsolt Low says that Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic “never stopped running” during his side’s win against Al Hilal on Wednesday.
The Blues edged past their opponents 1-0 in the semi-final of this year’s FIFA Club World Cup, with Romelu Lukaku scoring a first-half winner from inside the box.
It means Chelsea will win their first Club World Cup title if they beat Brazilian team Palmeiras in Saturday’s evening’s final.
Blues assistant coach Low, who’s handled media duties in the absence of manager Thomas Tuchel, was full of praise for Kovacic’s contribution in midweek.
The 27-year-old midfielder played the full game in the centre of the park and produced some excellent moments with the ball at his feet. Also, he won FIFA’s man of the match award.
“Kova has a big experience. He played a lot of big games in his career. He’s important on the pitch and outside it. He brought everything today. He never stopped running, stopped fighting and always tried to find the solution for his team-mates. We’re very happy to have Kova in this group. He’s a big leader,” Low said in his post-match interview.
Kovacic playing as good as ever in Chelsea career
It’s an absolute delight to watch Kovacic when he’s in the mood.
The Croatian is a flair central midfielder with exquisite technique and the ball looks glued to his feet at times.
However, he’s got the defensive side of the game to go with that. He’s a no-nonsense tackler that works his socks off for 90 minutes on the pitch.
Many neutrals will understandably flock towards dishing out praise to Chelsea’s midfielders N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, but Kovacic is equally as important to the side at Stamford Bridge.
Real Madrid’s Luka Modric has recently been raving about the quality of his Croatia teammate, describing him as his successor in the national side.
Keep up to date with all the latest Chelsea news and opinion by following The Chelsea Chronicle’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
