Chelsea: Rewriting history will not cure lingering anxieties about Eden Hazard

Yesterday’s rumour about Real Madrid opening talks with Antonio Conte prompted another round of banter about Eden Hazard’s supposed unwillingness to play under his former coach. This grossly misunderstands their history together and Hazard’s motivations.

Chelsea fans have an unofficial hierarchy similar to that of The Stonecutters. The Blueness of your blood is based on the order in which you joined (this is not to be confused with that of Chelsea supporters, whose hierarchy factors in things like number of consecutive games attended and which Kings Road pub you can be found in post-game. Non-locals need not apply, it seems).

The club’s lack of history is a continuing trope for fans and critics alike. Sadly, the functional span of said “history” is telescoping. Last season is the earliest shared frame of reference for conversations about things like Eden Hazard and Antonio Conte.

Real Madrid’s manager Julen Lopetegui is in a very Chelsea position: leading the sack race after eight games with Real two points out of first place. Real Madrid always operate off a very short list of candidates, and that list is even smaller when it comes to the possibility of a mid-season replacement. Antonio Conte may be the only Real-calibre manager available on short notice.

Whether he would want the job at the expense of the rest of his Chelsea contract is for another time. If Conte takes the post, though, his hiring will have no bearing on Eden Hazard’s contract / transfer situation.

Antonio Conte introduced Chelsea FC to his form of suffering in his first season with the club. Since it requires reminding, that season is the one of the 13-game win streak, the most goals since 2009/10 (85), the most points since 2004/05 (93) and the most wins in club history (30). If that is suffering, count me among the masochists.

For Eden Hazard, that was also a record-setting season. His 16 goals were the most he has ever had in a Premier League campaign. The 21 goals created (goals + assists) equalled his best tally in England. Again, show me the way to suffer like that. Show us all.

The trials of Conte’s second season do not negate the successes and enjoyments of his first. The accomplishments of 2016/17 are as much a measure of what he can do with a club and his players as the second. It would be up to Real Madrid to set the conditions for either brand of football. Based on a sample size of n=2 at Chelsea, Hazard would have an equal chance of having a career-best season or a decent-but-not great season under Antonio Conte at Real Madrid. Based on Real’s spending habits and how overdue they are for a galactico splurge, Conte probably would not be wanting for inbound transfers.

Hazard, unlike a particular compatriot of his and unlike several of his current teammates, never openly disrespected Antonio Conte. He never threatened to leave or expressed a desire to leave if the club retained the Italian. The extent of his discontent was saying he did not like playing as a  false-nine. Hazard set no link between his future at Chelsea and Antonio Conte’s.

If Hazard was not prepared to leave Chelsea because of Antonio Conte, there is no reason to think Conte would deter him from moving to Real Madrid. Hazard’s interest in Real Madrid lies with the decades-long reputation of the club and their dominance in the Champions League. Real Madrid would give Hazard a bigger stage, arguably a better platform for the Ballon d’Or voters and a higher chance of raising the Champions League trophy. Zinedine Zidane made the move more enticing, but he was not an essential component of Hazard’s considerations.

The decision to sack Julen Lopetegui could dissuade Eden Hazard more than the decision on his replacement. Hazard is happy at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri, and the club are enjoying one of their brief periods of relative stability. Sacking a coach in midseason after the somewhat surprise departure of Cristiano Ronaldo over the summer is the sort of instability that would deepen Real’s mini-crisis. For Hazard to leave a positive environment at Chelsea, he would have to be walking into something better. Turmoil at the Bernabeu works to Chelsea’s favour vis-a-vis Eden Hazard far more than their hiring Antonio Conte.

Real Madrid’s intrinsic, timeless values offer the greatest pull for Eden Hazard. The coach and the players at any given time may make the prospect slightly more or less appealing, but they do not settle the decision. This is frustrating for Chelsea fans, who believe their club offers intrinsic, timeless values of its own and are tired of being placed a tier or two below Real Madrid.

Fortunately, Eden Hazard agrees with them, which is why he has been content to stay regardless of who is on the touchline at Stamford Bridge, and who is in the same spot at the Bernabeu.