Eden Hazard Needs More Protection From Officials Says Jose Mourinho
As one of the most dynamic and creative midfielders in Europe, Chelsea FC‘s Eden Hazard is subject to a great deal of attention from opposing defenses. Unfortunately for the young Belgian, that attention often comes in the form of some very physical and consistent challenges. Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho stated earlier in the season that Hazard needs more protection and reiterated his comments after the match against PSG.
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Speaking in his post-match press conference, Jose Mourinho spoke about the physical fouls against Hazard. He said, “in England you like to bring up some other discussions, but this point is important because of what happened. This kid Hazard is pure. When he goes to the floor it is for a reason and there were nine fouls on him.”
He continued to speak about Hazard’s reactions to those fouls and how the youngster does not dive. “For example, what happened with Verratti. If (Hazard’s) another player, he dives, stays on the floor, rolls in the grass, screams. He’s asking for cards and cards and cards. This kid Hazard is pure. When he goes to the floor it is for a reason and there were nine fouls on him”, said Mourinho.
The manager was asked about what his solution would be and said, “In the Premier League it’s no different. For example at Stoke, which was an unbelievable situation, and this is what happens game after game. Give cards to the opponents, follow the rules of the game. It’s as simple as that.”
The demands Jose Mourinho is making here are entirely reasonable. For a player to get fouled nine times in any match, more than players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or any other player in the Champions League this year is ridiculous. Also to only give out two yellow cards for those nine fouls when several more were worthy of cards is equally ridiculous.
At this point, defenders know that referees are hesitant to give out second yellows for their fouls on Eden Hazard so they continue to push the envelope. They often accept a single booking as part of the job of trying to contain the Belgian but are usually deserving of a second as well.
We are not asking for a player to be sent off every time he touches Eden Hazard and neither is Jose Mourinho. What we are asking for is for the referee to simply do his job and set the tone for the match early on. If defenders know that they will be booked for their fouls on Hazard then they will not be as reckless.
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Players like Eden Hazard deserve more protection because they are often abused by opposing defenders. Referees can not stand idly by and simply call the foul when flair players are being taken down so physically by bigger and stronger defenders. The lack of protection for Hazard is one of the chief complaints Mourinho and many Chelsea supporters have when they discuss a conspiracy against the Blues. Those claims may be unfounded by these referees should be doing their job without being called out by a manager in the media every week.
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