Eden Hazard

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAx5ZgWxvqk

It's funny how a player (Hazard for example vs Swansea) can beat 3-4 players then lay it off to another player (Oscar in the same game) who makes a simple pass that even I can do, to Remy to score and so on, and that's an assist. It's safe to say there are assists and there are ASSISTS in football. They are also dependent on if the recipient can score among many other things i.e attacking/scoring proficiency of the team in question. To me it's one of the most overrated stats in football (and also in other sports like basketball, but that's another story) , it should never be in the same sentence as goals.

It should be goals and created chances not goals & assists. That's just me anyway.

[Styles 9,790]

Doesn't score enough etc etc etc

Will never win Ballon d'Or etc etc etc

Not as good as whathisname etc etc etc

[Barbara 15,149]

It's funny how a player (Hazard for example vs Swansea) can beat 3-4 players then lay it off to another player (Oscar in the same game) who makes a simple pass that even I can do, to Remy to score and so on, and that's an assist. It's safe to say there are assists and there are ASSISTS in football. They are also dependent on if the recipient can score among many other things i.e attacking/scoring proficiency of the team in question. To me it's one of the most overrated stats in football (and also in other sports like basketball, but that's another story) , it should never be in the same sentence as goals.

It should be goals and created chances not goals & assists. That's just me anyway.

I feel the opposite...

Chances created are a farce. I do agree with you that some assists aren't that great, for example, that pass by Fabregas to Hazard against Leicester. It was all Hazard. He received in the sideline, far from the goal, dribbled a few, entered the box and shot. Such a goal shouldn't have an assist credited to it.

Now as for the situation you said... sorry, but we've seen many players miss the pass that even you would do. Willian misses a couple of them every match, so in that case, if the pass - no matter how easy - let someone with a clear cut chance to score, then it should be credited as an assist.

And I'm not sure if you're confusing what the chances created stats are or if you're only making a point. This play you're talking about doesn't have a chance created to Hazard. Chances created are simply the assists that didn't turn out into a goal. So if Remy had missed the goal, according to the way the stats work these days, Oscar - not Hazard - would have had a chance created to his account because chance created is by default the last pass before someone shoots on goal, hence why I hate those stats.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

And I'm not sure if you're confusing what the chances created stats are or if you're only making a point. This play you're talking about doesn't have a chance created to Hazard. Chances created are simply the assists that didn't turn out into a goal. So if Remy had missed the goal, according to the way the stats work these days, Oscar - not Hazard - would have had a chance created to his account because chance created is by default the last pass before someone shoots on goal, hence why I hate those stats.

(1) If you read my post again, I never said it did. I was only comparing the value of some assists and if anything, the example I cited should be called a Pre-assist.

(2) This is a very good point, Barbara, but can't you see how the same also holds true for actual assists? Remy scored and the assist was credited to Oscar but the person who did the dirty work of carrying the ball from midfield and unsettling Swansea's backline was Hazard. I remember something similar with Oscar and Ivanovic for a Costa goal vs Leicester.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJeyx9XSzM

Ok, Brana did a nice cut-back but that goal was "created" by Oscar. If anything, it shows how underrated some "pre-assists" are in football.

This article does a very good job of explaining the value of created chances over an assist and how created chances are reflective of the actual best playmakers in the league. Look, Gerrard had 13 assists in the PL last season but 11 of them came from set pieces. Hazard on the other hand created 92 chances for his team and only had 7 assists. It's silly. Or Ricky Lambert having more assists than Eriksen, Silva and Hazard. Yeah, right.

https://www.bsports.com/extratime/premier-league-2013-14-creativity-gerrard-hazard-nasri-silva#.VKQg4CvF-Sp

And comparing Hazard to himself in his first two seasons here, the assist stat suggests he was more creative in his first season here, but it fails to take into account such things as style of play and the fact Hazard could play off Juan Mata.

http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2013/2014/eden_hazard/126/64/454/0/p|premier_league/2012/2013/eden_hazard/126/2/454/0/p#chances_created/key_passes/assists#avg

[DYC. 7,542]

(1) If you read my post again, I never said it did. I was only comparing the value of some assists and if anything, the example I cited should be called a Pre-assist.

(2) This is a very good point, Barbara, but can't you see how the same also holds true for actual assists? Remy scored and the assist was credited to Oscar but the person who did the dirty work of carrying the ball from midfield and unsettling Swansea's backline was Hazard. I remember something similar with Oscar and Ivanovic for a Costa goal vs Leicester.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJeyx9XSzM

Ok, Brana did a nice cut-back but that goal was "created" by Oscar. If anything, it shows how underrated some "pre-assists" are in football.

This article does a very good job of explaining the value of created chances over an assist and how created chances are reflective of the actual best playmakers in the league. Look, Gerrard had 13 assists in the PL last season but 11 of them came from set pieces. Hazard on the other hand created 92 chances for his team and only had 7 assists. It's silly. Or Ricky Lambert having more assists than Eriksen, Silva and Hazard. Yeah, right.

https://www.bsports.com/extratime/premier-league-2013-14-creativity-gerrard-hazard-nasri-silva#.VKQg4CvF-Sp

And comparing Hazard to himself in his first two seasons here, the assist stat suggests he was more creative in his first season here, but it fails to take into account such things as style of play and the fact Hazard could play off Juan Mata.

http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2013/2014/eden_hazard/126/64/454/0/p|premier_league/2012/2013/eden_hazard/126/2/454/0/p#chances_created/key_passes/assists#avg

You have a point, and that's why you can't just blindly stare at stats, but the thing is, the same rules apply to everyone. There's a reason why the likes of Ozil, Fabregas, Messi, Silva, Ribery, Reus etc. always produce a high number of assists and others don't. They usually play the right ball at the right time and that's a quality in it's own right (of course the 'set-piece assisters' are different, another seperate quality, valuable as well).

Creating a high amount chances doesn't say everything either. Cutbacks and 'simple' passes leading to shots that didn't go in are created chances as well. Playing for a side that averages a high amount of shots per game helps a lot as well.

The only way you can truly judge a player is by watching matches but you have to understand the game. And I'm no Cruyff or Sacchi but I know a bit. If it's all about goals and assists for you (I'm talking in general here), more power to you. But Hazard has been without a doubt one of the better performers in football this season. Top 10 easily. I don't care where he stands in the lands of Goals&Assists.

Now it's time to win big trophies.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

DYC., on 31 Dec 2014 - 12:08 PM, said:

You have a point, and that's why you can't just blindly stare at stats, but the thing is, the same rules apply to everyone. There's a reason why the likes of Ozil, Fabregas, Messi, Silva, Ribery, Reus etc. always produce a high number of assists and others don't. They usually play the right ball at the right time and that's a quality in it's own right (of course the 'set-piece assisters' are different, another seperate quality, valuable as well).

And those players are also at the top of the created chances/key passes table. Generally. They also play for high scoring sides, which helps

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

Eden reaches double digits and scored his tenth of the season today, at the half way mark. He might just reach 20 if he stays injury free, especially considering he usually performs better in the second half of the season. People on here complaining he should score more, but he's on track to maybe score 20 and we can't really ask more from an AM right?

Our best man today, again. Him and Fabregas were great today. Matic had a rare off-day, but I can easily forgive him.

Considering alternate premier league, this was a par 1 game and we got that one point. City played a par 3 game and drew!

He can score more though. He is our pen taker and though it doesn't matter how you get them, he needs to score more from open play. Still, all throughout December he's been fantastic so no point in bringing that up.

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

The fact people genuinely judge a winger through goals is mind blowing.

Give it ten years fill backs will getting judged on goals.

Its the standard set out by Messi and Ronaldo. Hazard is more like Robben, Zidane, Ribery if you ask me.

[Barbara 15,149]

(1) If you read my post again, I never said it did. I was only comparing the value of some assists and if anything, the example I cited should be called a Pre-assist.

(2) This is a very good point, Barbara, but can't you see how the same also holds true for actual assists? Remy scored and the assist was credited to Oscar but the person who did the dirty work of carrying the ball from midfield and unsettling Swansea's backline was Hazard. I remember something similar with Oscar and Ivanovic for a Costa goal vs Leicester.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJeyx9XSzM

Ok, Brana did a nice cut-back but that goal was "created" by Oscar. If anything, it shows how underrated some "pre-assists" are in football.

This article does a very good job of explaining the value of created chances over an assist and how created chances are reflective of the actual best playmakers in the league. Look, Gerrard had 13 assists in the PL last season but 11 of them came from set pieces. Hazard on the other hand created 92 chances for his team and only had 7 assists. It's silly. Or Ricky Lambert having more assists than Eriksen, Silva and Hazard. Yeah, right.

https://www.bsports.com/extratime/premier-league-2013-14-creativity-gerrard-hazard-nasri-silva#.VKQg4CvF-Sp

And comparing Hazard to himself in his first two seasons here, the assist stat suggests he was more creative in his first season here, but it fails to take into account such things as style of play and the fact Hazard could play off Juan Mata.

http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2013/2014/eden_hazard/126/64/454/0/p|premier_league/2012/2013/eden_hazard/126/2/454/0/p#chances_created/key_passes/assists#avg

No, I was just checking if you meant the chances created stat as we have today, or what would in fact be a chance created.

You hit the nail of the problem for me regarding those stats. I don't have a problem with 90% of the assists around, I think most of them should be considered assists, given credit to the player that did the pass, no matter how easy or hard it was to complete it. So I think if most cases the assist left someone near to score and a clear cut chance, it counts.

But the chances created stat should have been the most important and more telling in the sport, but as it's made by a metric that defines that whoever passes the ball before someone takes a shot, creates a chance, it loses most of its credibility.

For example, I have no doubts Hazard is the player that created more goals chances in the league (even if I haven't watched much of many others) because he creates space, he passes by opponents, he creates something out of nowhere, he links up with others, etc etc etc. There should have a way to measure THAT not the nonsense of whoever passes before a shot.

But as there isn't, we should stick to watch we see week in, week out and that's how he brought his game to a whole new level and is bailing us out of the jail in the attack. Regardless if he scored or assisted, regardless if the play he created ended up in a goal or not. He's been our outlet, alongside Cesc, the guy that makes things happen for us. That's why I consider him our best player so far.

So at the end of the day, I agree with you about who creates the whole play, not only the last pass, I'm just not as just dismissive of the assists stat as I guess you are - because like sitters - we've seen players missing the easiest pass - some even very often (cough Torres cough), so I think there's merit for whoever leaves the other in front of the goal, no matter how easy to execute the pass.

[iseah100 5,612]

Posts too long, don't read. I'm sure they are compelling though.

[Madmax 9,219]

I don't want to fucking read another word here for a couple of months about what this guy needs to do and how he needs to get better. People said he needs to be more direct, he's bloody unplayable and no defender can live with him. People said he doesn't shoot often, he's shooting fucking alright I'd say. Then you wanted him to score away from home ... yeah, you know the score. He's ran his bollocks off today; I think I've lost mine whacking it to him.

[LukakutoStamford 779]

I don't want to fucking read another word here for a couple of months about what this guy needs to do and how he needs to get better. People said he needs to be more direct, he's bloody unplayable and no defender can love with him. People said he doesn't shoot often, he's shooting fucking alright I'd say. Then you wanted him to score away from home ... yeah, you know the score. He's ran his bollocks off today; I think I've lost mine whacking it to him.

What Hazard needs to do is get better ..... teammates.

[LukakutoStamford 779]

I don't want to fucking read another word here for a couple of months about what this guy needs to do and how he needs to get better. People said he needs to be more direct, he's bloody unplayable and no defender can love with him. People said he doesn't shoot often, he's shooting fucking alright I'd say. Then you wanted him to score away from home ... yeah, you know the score. He's ran his bollocks off today; I think I've lost mine whacking it to him.

What Hazard needs to do is get better ..... teammates.

[Milan 17,835]

Feel very sorry for him today. He really tried but his team mates let him down and alone big time.

[Beigl 1,387]

I`m so proud to have him here. He kept running and fighting until the end. Best player in the league.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Fucking quality. Wow.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

He'll leave in the summer imo. Far too good for the Premier League and playing under Ancelotti/Guardiola will raise his game to a whole 'nother level. Today was like a flashback to the 2nd half of last season.

He's carried us since December.

[DYC. 7,542]

Unbreakable, unmistakable, highly capable.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This guy is in the top 10. And he plays for Chelsea. When was the last time we saw that? Enjoy.