Chelsea FC Defeat Norwich City: Key Takeaways
Hazard Masterclass
Did we see a return of the Premier League Player of the Year on Saturday? Eden Hazard was completely unplayable against Norwich! He completed the most dribbles, created the most chances, was the most fouled player on the pitch and made a total nuisance of himself. He clearly thrived in his new role of second striker as he was given less defensive responsibilities, meaning he was able to do more damage closer to Norwich’s goal.
He won the free-kick from which Fabregas set-up Costa for the only goal and his mazy dribbling runs and constant movement tore the Norwich defence apart, helping Costa to find spaces to exploit in the box. There is little doubt that this was his best performance of the season so far!
Having said this, there were still some downsides to his game. For some reason, Hazard feels reluctant to shoot, even when well placed to score. His dummy from Kenedy’s cross after the young Brazilian initiated an impressive counter attack was an inspired move, as he pulled the attention of the defenders behind him, allowing the ball to move unchallenged to Costa who took one touch too many before playing the ball straight at Ruddy.
But Hazard would have been in a better position to score if he had tried to control the ball. Hazard is probably one of the most unselfish attacking players in Europe, which is good for the team but makes it difficult for him to get the recognition he deserves as all the players rated higher than him only surpass him in terms of goal-scoring.
He needs to try to be a little bit more selfish and make more attempts to shoot, especially considering the fact that his team mates more often than not fail to convert the chances he manages to create.
Next: Nervous Defending