Reflections On Chelsea FC’s Draw Away To Dynamo Kyiv
The Return Of Eden Hazard
Jose Mourinho does seem to have Hazard’s number, doesn’t he? After Mourinho’s criticism of Hazard’s defensive contribution during Chelsea’s UCL semi-final tie with Atletico Madrid in the 2013/14 season, the then 23-year old went on to have probably his best season till date in the 2014/15 season. His efforts saw him become the Premier League Player of the Year and be nominated as one of the top 10 players in the world.
The Belgian has so far failed to even get close to the heights of last season, both for club and country. His form has even prompted his national team coach, Marc Wilmots, to label him the worst player on the pitch despite scoring the only goal of the game in Belgium’s Euro 2016 qualifying game against Cyprus.
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Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, was again forced to publicly criticize his defensive contribution after watching his listless performance in the Blues 3-1 home defeat against Southampton. The manager went as far as to drop him for the next game, making an unveiled threat to maintain the status quo if his performances fail to pick up.
And what was the result? A man-of-the-match performance against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday! Hazard was at his dribbling best, going past Dynamo Kyiv’s players with the ease that Blues supporters had become accustomed to. He was only prevented from getting on the score-sheet by the post early in the first half and an excellent block from Dragovic in the second half.
He was also much more committed in his defensive responsibilities, helping Azpilicueta to stifle the threat from Dynamo Kyiv’s star player, Andriy Yarmolenko, who had a game to forget.
I really hope that this is the beginning of the 24-year-old’s resurgence, as an in-form Hazard almost always equates to an in-form Chelsea!
Next: Final Thoughts