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Chelsea at Euro 2016: players, manager and transfer targets

By Yves Binda

A picture taken on June 8, 2016 shows a the logo of the EURO 2016 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis before the Euro 2016 opening match to be held in two days. / AFP / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD (Photo credit should read KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on June 8, 2016 shows a the logo of the EURO 2016 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis before the Euro 2016 opening match to be held in two days. / AFP / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD (Photo credit should read KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Jul 1, 2014; Salvador, BRAZIL; Belgium midfielder Eden Hazard (10) against USA during the round of sixteen match in the 2014 World Cup at Arena Fonte Nova. Belgium defeated USA 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 1, 2014; Salvador, BRAZIL; Belgium midfielder Eden Hazard (10) against USA during the round of sixteen match in the 2014 World Cup at Arena Fonte Nova. Belgium defeated USA 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Eden Hazard – Siva Sankar

After the regular skipper Vincent Kompany was ruled out of the tournament, manager Marc Wilmots handed the captain’s armband to Eden Hazard hoping to get a good reaction and a bid to make him shoulder more responsibility at the tournament.

Belgian sides have lacked fluency that you would expect given their star studded attacking lineup and Hazard bears the brunt of criticism for that. He is often perceived as not doing enough for the national team cause.

Hopefully a mix of freshness from not having played a full season at Chelsea due to various reasons, a late resurgance of form in the final weeks of the club and the added weight of being a captain should help him put in game-changing performances as are expected from a player of his class. The creative burden of the team falls on him and Kevin De Bruyne, as they are expected to provide those moments of magic that will get Belgium out of hot water.

Also, he has a point to prove after a dismal season where at one point he suffered a goal drought worse than the one Fernando Torres suffered in a blue shirt.

At his best Hazard is an unstoppable force but he needs players around him to provide options and create space for him to be fully effective. This has proven not to be the case before at national level. Hopefully the manager and the player himself have worked out a way to keep him supplied with the ball and providing him options off the ball. If not, this may not turn out to be the success Hazard will have hoped for in order to put his demons to rest.

Next: Thibaut Courtois

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