New aspects of Eden Hazard’s game better suit Chelsea than Real Madrid

Chelsea’s talisman has been outspoken on his desire to play for Real Madrid, regarding it a dream move as he feels they are the biggest club in the world. But Eden Hazard and Real are just not right for each other.

Eden Hazard has spoken several times this season about how much he would like to move to Real Madrid. These statements all follow-up on his comments at the end of the World Cup when he said he thought it was time to “try something new.” It wouldn’t be right to deny him a dream move to Los Blancos, as he has been a good servant for Chelsea FC over the years. But the move may be more compelling emotionally than from a football perspective.

Hazard has had a phenomenal start to the season and he is currently the Premier League’s top scorer with seven goals. He assisted on three other goals, having started in six of Chelsea’s eight fixtures. In all competitions, that tally increased to eight goals in 10 games, following his goal of the season contender against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

Maurizio Sarri has changed the style of play at the club and Hazard has benefited the most. He no longer has to concern himself with defending and can instead focus on being a nuisance to the opposition in the final third. Some key statistics make the changes in his game quite evident.

Chelsea now average 67% possession and complete 716 passes per game at a success rate of 88.2%. This means Hazard now gets on the ball a lot more than he ever did. His passes per game have increased to 58.1, with a success rate of 86.7%.

For the first time in the Premier League, Hazard is taking more shots than making key passes. He is taking a career-high 2.9 shots per game. His knack for goalscoring is not stopping him from being any less creative, though. He is making 2.4 key passes per game, second only to Willian. Hazard is also leading the team in dribbles, with 2.8 per game – down from last season’s 5.9. This shows he is now more focused on getting his name on the scoresheet.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, are in a bit of a crisis at the moment. They are on a run of four matches without a win or even a goal. They are fourth in the league with a mere 14 points from 8 games. They are only two points from the top because Barcelona are also having their own crisis.

Ronaldo’s summer transfer to Juventus has left a superstar-shaped hole in the team that Madrid are desperate to fill. Hazard would have been a worthy fit for that role, except he’s not a goalscorer. He’s a creative player who prefers to work from the left wing, and Madrid already have not one but two players to fill that role: Isco and Marco Asensio.

Isco is stylistically similar to Hazard and also a favorite of Julen Lopetegui. He is more valued than he was under Zinedine Zidane, and the Madrid team is built to accentuate his talents. Asensio is another left-winger and is already an indispensable member of both Madrid and the Spanish national team. At 22, he is still very young and his potential seems limitless. Hazard’s arrival will only stymie his development.

What Real need now is an elite goalscorer and that’s something Hazard is not. He may have a good goalscoring record this season, but it’s the exception and not the norm. Hazard has still never scored more than 19 goals a season in his Chelsea career. It will, therefore, take a huge leap of faith for Madrid to expect him to replace Ronaldo’s 40 goals a season.

At Chelsea, the entire team is built around Hazard. That makes it possible for him to flourish. It will be a different case if he eventually gets his dream move. Gareth Bale is the main man at the Bernabeu and Hazard would be required to play a supporting role. At 27 (he will be 28 if he moves) and with ambitions to win the Ballon D’Or, that is not a situation he’ll be happy with.

Eden Hazard’s phenomenal form is a major part of the reason Chelsea are joint top of the league. If he can sustain that form over a full season, he is bound to add to the five trophies he’s already won at Stamford Bridge. That will go a long way in solidifying his status as a genuine legend of the club.