Hakim Ziyech's return was supposed to be a massive boost for Chelsea against Manchester City. The Moroccan has registered one goal and three assists so far this season, but injuries have interrupted his progress. Nevertheless, when he's on form he's been one of the Blues' most creative outlets and they badly missed him in the loss to Arsenal and the draw with Aston Villa. However, he wasn't able to make a difference at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Chelsea slumped to a three-goal deficit within 35 minutes after goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne. Callum Hudson-Odoi scored a late consolation, but that won't do much to ease the pressure on Frank Lampard. De Bruyne's goal truly rubbed salt in the wounds. Raheem Sterling went on a brilliant run and should have scored himself, but hit the post and set up the Belgian for the rebound. It was an impressive sequence from the visitors. The move actually began with a Ziyech free-kick. But once Chelsea lost the ball, he was spotted failing to track back and even 'pretending' to slip over to avoid having to run into his own half. 

Souness slams Ziyech

That was the verdict of Graeme Souness on Sky Sports. The pundit absolutely tore the 27-year-old apart for in the studio. 

"Big players don't act like this...They don't stand and watch the game like this. 'Not my problem, someone else's problem,'" the Scotsman said. 

"What Ziyech was guilty of for the third goal was just downright 'I'm not bothered'. 'I'm not showing any real desire to deal with the basics, which is track back.'

"You see him play the free-kick, you see the ball come out. Now watch him, goes forward, now he pretends he's slipped up. What does that say about a player?

"I'm not saying by him sprinting back it prevents the goal, but just never, never know a goal might take a ricochet and you can be there to deal with it. That's happened in training, he must have done that in training. As a manager you've got to sort it out."

When Dave Jones asked whether that was simply the instinct of forward players, Souness added:

"In proper teams that never happens. Teams that win the big trophies, other players get after them...If he's allowed to get away with that, it's now January, he's been here since August."

Chelsea still haven't beaten a team in the top eight. Souness also slated Ziyech for only delivering "against the lesser teams". It's been another miserable weekend for Lampard's men.