The Eden Project
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Loading ...The development of Eden Hazard has been incredible to watch this season. Joe takes a look at the rise of the young Belgian within Mourinho’s Chelsea and his burgeoning relationship with the club.
There is a common sentiment among many foreign Chelsea players. It is a feeling that sits at complete odds with the general perception of Chelsea fans beyond the walls of Stamford Bridge. A media fuelled detestation that stems from an irrational jealousy of Chelsea’s success under Roman Abramovich. This notion of being ‘plastic’ just does not tally up with the sheer number of ex-players (and current) who have fallen in love with the club. The rapport between Chelsea fans and players is natural and this is something that anyone who frequently refers to ‘istory cannot grasp. There are no enforced sound bites (just ask Joe Cole) or any pressure placed on the player to declare their love of the badge. It just happens. This is what they cannot comprehend.
The list of players with an affinity for the club stretches from Zola to Drogba. Their achievements here are unparalleled. In our finest hour Chelsea were led by Di Matteo, had Drogba slot the winning penalty and Petr Čech save three penalties. This night more than any other tangibly encapsulated the sentiment that many foreign Chelsea players have for the club. Who can forget Di Matteo’s celebration in the Camp Nou when Torres rounded Valdes? That feeling for the club is exactly what opposition fans cannot comprehend. Pre and post Roman – it is a special relationship we enjoy with our players.
This relationship is something that we can see developing with Eden Hazard. The Belgian, who has taken his game to another level under José Mourinho, squashed any transfer rumours surrounding a move to PSG:
“I have a plan. I want to become the best player at Chelsea”. (L’Equipe)
Mourinho’s role in developing the talismanic figure cannot be understated. Imbuing him with a work ethic of a lesser talented player, Hazard’s contribution in both defensive and attacking aspects has been superb. His post-Newcastle interview immediately heaped praise upon his teammates and Lampard for letting him take the penalty. His only moment of personal reflection seemed to be his happiness at having a signed ball. The impression was that Hazard knows he is good, but without his teammates he is nothing. Hazard remains a humble, family oriented person, who has shown a willingness to learn, adapt and mature: a credit to this football club.
Eden arrived at Chelsea with question marks regarding the £32m paid for his services. Sir Alex Ferguson even went as far as suggesting he was overpriced! (No, seriously). His first season was one of adaptation and he showed glimpses of world class talent. However, Mourinho’s bold gambit of making Hazard the focal point of his team has seen exponential growth in Hazard’s overall game. Eden is no longer just a player capable of conjuring a moment of magic out of his extensive repertoire. The Belgian has become a consistent nightmare for opposition teams to defend. With or without the ball Hazard is now accounted for by opposition players throughout the entire 90 minutes. Even when the other team are in possession you can frequently see centre backs gesturing to their full-back to keep an eye on him.
Watching Hazard play is mesmeric. Blessed with majestic balance and Zola-esque control he glides regally across the pitch at unerring speeds. His array of feints, turns and jinks flow together poetically leaving defenders bewildered and often chasing shadows as he shifts into gear away from where they inevitably head. An impudent flick following his signature sidestep jink captivates everyone in the stadium prompting questions of “how did he do that?”
Perhaps one of the moments of this season came after his second goal against Newcastle. The crowd erupted at the magnificence of the goal they had witnessed before a reverent hushed tone gripped the stadium. Fans within the ground had all stopped their celebration. Why? No one was quite sure how he had scored. Everyone waited patiently, eyes fixed on the giant screens above the pitch. After the first slow motion replay had concluded and the interplay between Eto’o became apparent, applause rung around Stamford Bridge as thousands of people turned to talk about what had just happened with the person next to them in amazement. One thing is for certain — it will not be the last time Eden Hazard leaves us speechless. Give me Eden Hazard in full flight ahead of 1,000 passes a game every time.
There are things that Eden can do that very few people in world football can even attempt. This is no longer necessarily a run of good form but what Hazard is capable of producing on a regular basis. He has done it to Lahm and Zabaleta this season and taken over games as the standout performer. Mourinho said it himself – the Newcastle game was what Hazard had been doing all season, but the goals guarantee headlines.
Teams have attempted to defend Hazard two ways this season. The first way is to sprint to him and attempt to get on his first touch. The problem being that Hazard’s vision and awareness is so great that he can see the pressure coming. The second is to get men behind the ball, double or triple team him and then hope to nick the ball.
Where Hazard is arguably at his best is against teams who attempt to press him. Instead of simply playing a simple pass out of trouble he is always looking for the attacking option. His arsenal of audacious flicks always means that no passing angle is narrow enough for him not to take advantage or consider. Time and time again he is closed down and manages to somehow divert the ball into space behind him for an onrushing Chelsea player. You almost press him at your peril. Yes, you do limit his own ability to consistently run at you with the ball, but given the quality of our counterattacking football do you really want to let us overload you that easily? Probably not.
When teams realised that closing him down furiously was not an option they stood off and tried to defend him with numbers. One particular run against Manchester City saw Eden slow the ball down to a halt outside their penalty area. In a blink of an eye he accelerated before jinking his way past four bemused defenders and drawing a foul. It highlighted the pitfalls of willingly letting him run at you. Hazard’s change of direction, ability to accelerate from a standing start and sublime skill make this 1-on-1 defending strategy suicidal. When was the last time someone made Zabaleta look like he was playing Sunday League with a hangover in a pair of flip-flops?
Eden Hazard is a unique footballing talent and the comparisons with Ronaldo and Messi (in particular) are no longer farfetched. His extremely low centre of gravity, ankle breaking change of direction, burst of acceleration and trickery are eerily reminiscent of the Argentine. Hazard is stockier and this certainly lends itself to the Premier League. A few teams have tried to kick him off the park, but ultimately you need to get near him to kick him. It is a pleasure to witness someone with the potential to be the best footballer on the planet achieving that level while at Chelsea. The continued evolution of this team into one saturated with both technique and power is only going to increase Eden’s influence.
It would appear that the only feasible way of stopping Hazard is to somehow stop the supply. Nonetheless, as Mourinho continues to mould this side to his ideals we are seeing a much quicker Chelsea team in transition. The £21m capture of Nemanja Matić has proven instrumental in not only winning the ball (he made 11 tackles against Newcastle and bossed Yaya Touré) but distributing it swiftly as well. Similarly, David Luiz’s new found box-to-box destroyer role has added fluidity to an area where we have lacked dynamism in the past. When you add Oscar conducting play expertly from central areas and Willian’s selfless all-action role it is a potentially enthralling cocktail.
The relationship between manager and player is also something that distinctly can be seen as a huge positive in Hazard’s development. Mourinho effectively challenged Hazard to become that special player his level of talent demanded at the beginning of the season. As our style of play and direction have advanced under Mourinho, so has Eden’s influence; he is now producing regular performances of high quality. It is this bond with Mourinho that I think is key to Hazard’s long-term prospects at Chelsea. The fans have taken to him and his affable demeanour makes him a popular squad member. Furthermore, Mourinho appears to be cultivating a relationship similar to the one he has enjoyed with Drogba and Lampard respectively.
We can only hope that Hazard continues to fall in love with Chelsea and realises that both Mourinho and the fans want to see him become the world’s best player while at Stamford Bridge. There is certainly an argument to suggest that Hazard could become the best player in our history. If he continues his development, continues building his relationship with the fans and continues to play a special role in winning trophies his wish of becoming “Mr. Chelsea” might come true. If we get to see the best of Hazard he only needs to speak to Drogba or Lampard to find out what that means. He has all the ability and tools to become a legend and I sincerely hope that is the case.
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Very perceptive article. I particularly enjoyed the mention of Hazard’s relationship with the supporters.
The team that Jose is building is more fluid and faster at counter attacking.
Eden hopefully will continue his progress and achieve the goal of reaching the level of Ronaldo and Messi.