Chelsea: Eden Hazard needs the mental strength to go with his ability
By Hugo Amaya
Eden Hazard is a sensational player who, on his day, can change games and intimidate just about everyone. But what is stopping Chelsea’s No. 10 from becoming the best?
Eden Hazard is undeniably phenomenal. A player with the skills to pay the bills. Someone who can turn the game in a matter of seconds. He inflicts fear in defenders when he is on the ball, and even when he is not. If he is near, opponents panic. However, there is one distinction between the Chelsea man and the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Belgian often wavers around meeting the benchmarks of success. He always falls short when it comes to taking his place in the same level as Ronaldo and Messi. For example, Ronaldo and Messi score a ridiculous amount of goals every season. Hazard comes nowhere close. By itself, that is not an issue. That he is not adding goals to his tally each season is.
Eden Hazard is has 11 goals for Chelsea this season. He is the co-highest scorer for the team, but that does not say much given the Blues’ poor campaign. But even so, Hazard has not been the game-changing contributor he can be, and this is not the first time either.
Hazard’s performances usually start to dip after the winter break. No more dashing runs with the ball, or without. No more shots from outside the box. Sometimes he seems to lack the ability – or the will – to pull the trigger altogether. Meanwhile, Messi and Ronaldo come alive when the team needs them and at the key moments of the season, either through scoring, assisting or commanding the game when their teammates falter.
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Hazard lacks the mental strength that has powered Messi and Ronaldo to their perch. He is not comfortable being the star of the team. Even after being given all the attacking freedom a player like him could ever want, Hazard still seems stuck in limbo. He allows other players to do the work for him, and places himself in positions that do not allow him to exploit his strengths.
At his best he has many different ways to make an impact: his passing, running in behind defenders and drawing defenders towards him to open opportunities for his teammates. But in recent weeks – months – all of this has vanished from his game. He will wait for the pass on the left flank and end up passing to the edge of the box. Instead of taking a pass and running at a defender, he will back-heel flick the ball, which often leads to a turnover. He will dribble or pass rather than find – or, since he is Eden Hazard, create – a shooting lane.
Eden Hazard understands his role at Chelsea, but fails to fulfil it. He seems to feel the pressure of what is expected of him. While coping with that is not easy, someone of his status and skill should be able to do more than he has recently.
In the meantime, clubs like Real Madrid could lose their interest in the Belgian. After all, if he is going to replace Ronaldo someday, he needs to meet the high standards that come with the role. And while keeping Hazard may seem like a good thing for the Blues, it could potentially back -fire on the club if they end up paying more than he is worth.
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If Hazard wants to stay and demands £300,000 a week, he needs to improve his performances and provide results for the team. He could wear the captain’s arm band for the Blues someday, but the team need someone to look up to, not someone to carry after January.