The general consensus among Chelsea supporters leaving Stamford Bridge after the 2-0 victory over Bournemouth was Denis Zakaria had impressed on his first Premier League appearance. The man himself, however, was far more critical of his display.
"I’m really happy for the team and for a big win, but I think my performance should be better," the 26-year-old explained. "I wasn’t happy with my performance actually, but we won, that’s the most important thing. We work toward the next game now. I’m really happy; it’s great to get some minutes in the legs. It’s important for me. I have to work, and it’s going to be better with time."
Patience has been key for Zakaria following his deadline-day loan move from Juventus in September. He was afforded just two appearances prior to the World Cup: one in a dead rubber Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb and another in the Carabao Cup third round against Manchester City.
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Zakaria's limited game time during the first half of the campaign was no reflection of his professionalism or attitude. It's understood he has assimilated well into the Chelsea squad and adapted effortlessly to life in England. He was also praised regularly by Graham Potter for his day-to-day work at Cobham.
The Switzerland international will undoubtedly hope his start against Bournemouth is an indication of a greater first-team involvement between now and the end of the campaign – and there will come a stage when the Chelsea hierarchy has to decide whether to take up the £30million option to buy Zakaria permanently.
There is much football to be played before that point. Chelsea face another intense run of fixtures in the weeks ahead and are currently without midfielders N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek due to injury. Mateo Kovacic was also absent against Bournemouth after Croatia's extended stay at the World Cup.
"I think this year is difficult for all players," said Zakaria. "There are a lot of games but we are professionals, and we love to play football. So in the end, we play football and we are very happy to do it. It's not too difficult. It’s really important for us to start building momentum. We know we have a lot of games coming now. We want to win every game coming, so we know we have to work hard."
The victory over Bournemouth was much-needed for Chelsea, both in terms of points on the board in the Premier League and for the mood among the fanbase. It came at a cost, though, as Reece James appeared to suffer a reoccurrence of the knee injury that kept him out for eight weeks between October and December.
"He’s such an important player for us, we all know Reece’s quality," said Zakaria ruefully. "For me, he’s the best right-back in the world. So it’s really important for us that he can be back soon. I hope it’s not such a big injury."
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