Hkibou

I'd gladly debate with you about the importance of pre-assist, and hence the importance of measuring, at least noticing, them. But I can't if you give nothing to debate on. Have you got any argument for this disdain of pre-assists ?

It was clear that Moses had no future whatsoever with Chelsea and be sold the next summer. Why would the club decrease his market value by keeping him for bench warming ? Salah was a gamble, his future in Chelsea can be bright given the chance, and talented enough, in case he failed to grasp it, to join the loanees colony, get some value and sold.

Saint Etienne is not the best youth academy in France alongside Lyon, far from it. First, Lyon is clearly the best, way above all youth academy in the country. But Saint Etienne is not second, not even third or fourth. In the last 10 years, they have trained very few good players that reached the international level : Bafé Gomis, Faouzhi Ghoulam, Joshua Guilavogui, Loïc Perrin, Kurt Zouma... and that's all. Zouma is the only very good/excellent player (but still have to confirm), all the rest are just avrage/good players. No one is a star, that's for sure. I can see several clubs that have a better youth academy in the last ten years, with better players coming out of it. Lille : Eden Hazard, Kevin Mirallas, Divock Origi (belgian internationals), without forgetting Bernard Malanda who would have quickly become one ; Yohan Cabaye, Mathieu Debuchy, Lucas Digne, Franck Ribéry (french internationals). Lens : Raphaël Varane, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Assou-Ekotto, Serge Aurier, Thorgan Hazard Monaco : Stéphane Ruffier, Layvin Kurzawa, Nicolas N'koulou, Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco, Jaroslav Plasil...

This is one of the goals I was talking about, we can't see in the video who did the pre-assist, I myself didn't remember it and was unable to find highlights of Leicester's game which revealed it. I trust your memory, so I edited the post. Thanks !

You're welcome ! I'm also not surprised to see Hazard at the top. But I thought Oscar and Matic, and to some extent Fabregas (only 2 pre-assists from open play) would have more. This just shows how Hazard has been paramount to Chelsea's results so far. If we take into account pre-assists, he has been the most decisive player ahead of Fabregas and Costa !

I was very circonspect when I read your assumption, so I decided to do the research and verify it. First of all, I dont see where you count two pre-assists for Wilian vs Swans. First goal, no pre-assist ; second goal Oscar's pre-assist (Wilian's pass is pre-pre-assist ^^) ; third goal no pre-assist ; fourth goal Willian pre-assist ; fifth goal Hazard's pre-assist. So as for my research, I based it on the video below + Highlights against Tottenham, Watford, Newcastle and finally Swansea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyu-PD-nnHs The research is a bit incomplete because in the first video one can't always see who made the pre-assist. For some I looked at a highlight video of the game, but couldn't find some of them. But I dare say that 90% of the pre-assists are taken into account in my research. As for the methodology, I counted as pre-assist every last pass before an assist EXCEPT when it is clear that the last pass before the assist had nothing to do whatsoever with the make-up of the goal. For example I considered that Terry giving an easy 5 yards pass to Fabregas in midfield, then followed by a 40 yards pass from Fabregas who spotted Costa's run does not count as pre-assist from Terry. It's all thanks to Fabregas imo. Also, I counted a pre-assist even when the pre-assister is also the scorer. For example Hazard's goal against Tottenham, with a beautiful one-two with Fabregas : Hazard is credited one pre-assist, even though he also scored. Seemed fair to me. So here are the results : Hazard : 14 pre-assists Fabregas : 6 pre-assists (four of them are from corners : Fabregas takes the corner, someone heads the ball toward the far-post, and another one pushes the ball in the net) Costa : 4 pre-assists Ivanovic : 3 pre-assists Wilian : 3 pre-assists (one against Maribor, the quick corner against Newcastle, one against Swansea... and that's all) Oscar : 2 pre-assists Luis : 1 pre-assist Cahill : 1 pre-assist So, your assumption is wrong, Willian is nowhere near leading the "pre-assist competition", Hazard is by far the leader. And I have been quite gentle with Willian, because I counted a pre-assist against Maribor where it shouldn't have been counted. It's a pre-assist for Filipe Luis, who crosses for Hazard, and it ended up with an own goal of a Maribor's defender : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pB2OXKAGFA 2m10 in this video you can see the goal I'm talking about, I thought he deserved to be credited a pre-assist because he helped set-up the goal very much, but technically it is not a pre-assist. Some observations from this research : Oscar has only two pre-assist (the one against Swansea for Fabregas' assist), and Matic has none ! I really didn't expect these results from both these players.

To be fair, what the talk was about was the transfer fee of David Luiz to PSG. So no, it was not about an English team that operates in England, but about an english team selling a player to a french team. And France is using euros. And international transfers are done in euros I'm pretty sure. But anyway, what's most ridiculous in this whole story, is still being debating on such a trivial matter imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCjyUQsGCCg Poor game from him I thought, very average when he could do so much better, especially against such a mediocre defense. Should have turned on the "killer mode" and it would have been 8-0 !

I've got a working link, but the commentaries are in french : http://www.toussports.info/?page=live&id=4384&name=streaming-swansea-chelsea

WILLIANNNNNNNNNNNNN This guy is so funny

You stat is already obsolete

If Eden Hazard awakes in the second half (he's very far from his best form at the moment), this could end up being 8-0 ^^

Willian is getting closer !!

Modric + 50 millions ?? As much as I love Eden, Madrid would be foolish to make such an offer. Modric is crucial to the team. They need more Modric than Hazard imo. Also, if Eden says he's committed to the club (as he did multiple times) you can trust him that he really is. Eden is not a liar, and is a loyal person. I'm 99% sure he will remain at Chelsea until he has won big trophies with the club, such as the Champion's League.

You just now realized that modern football was totally unfair ? Of all the clubs in Europe, yes, Real is the most privileged by the unfairness of this business that has become football. But Chelsea is easily top 5. Doesn't seem to me that Chelsea fans are in positition to moan about the unfairness of the system. The club benefits too much from it to bitch about it when, once in a while, it's not.

Have you seen Pogba play often ? Reading what you are saying about him (this post and the previous one), it seems you have not. First of all, Vidal and Marchisio are not better players than Pogba. It can be argued than Pirlo is better, but they are two very different players and Pirlo has 15 more years of experience than Paul. Ask any Juventus fan who is the best player of their team, most of them will answer Pogba without a second of hesitation. They don't think at all Pogba has a limited role because of Vidal and Pirlo... His "regular contribution" is more than enough for them and he's been the most consistent player of Juve despite being the youngest, if you consider the grades La Gazzeta dello Sporte gave him since the beginning of the season. Besides Pogba has played many times in a different system than Juve's, mainly as a box-to-box CM in a 4-3-3 for France U-20 (world champions and MVP of the U20 World Cup) and France A, of which he has been the best player for the great majority of the matches he has played so far under Didier Deschamps. So your argument is, imo, invalid. Pogba has it all. Physically, tactically, technically, mentally. He's a naturally gifted dribbler, already worldclass in that skill at such a young age. His passing is already on the verge of being worldclass, if not already. His link-up play is excellent, and long-range passing is top of the charts. He has great vision, way better than Yaya Toure and Oscar's. He will improve his playmaking skills, because he is so young, but in no way he "needs" to improve them. He's already among the 10 (to be large) best deep lying playmakers of the world. And among the 10 best in the world, only Fabregas can stand the level comparison if we remind how they were at Pogba's current age. His shots are powerful, his finishing skills and composure in the final third are outstanding for a central midfield. Pogba is the most exciting young player of the moment, and may well become one the best central midfield of the history of football. Clearly the best buy Chelsea can make this summer. Pogba - Matic / Willian (or Reus) - Fabregas - Hazard would be a tremendous midfield.

I'm really happy to see Southampton on the podium, they really have a wonderful team and the club is very smartly managed. Hope it continues like this until the end of the season, they deserve to have a go at the Champion's League, maybe they could avoid being plundered of all their best players during the summer.

So because every player is being ridiculous one can't say it is ridiculous ?

Completely undeserved, but hey what do we care ?

What a poor display ! So much febrility, technical and tactical mistakes... Only chance seems to give the ball to Eden and hope for a moment of magic from him... Thankfully Cech is the only one being at his level right now.

Nice to see Zouma getting a righfully deserved start. He was very impressive for his young age with Saint-Etienne, I rate him much higher than Mangala tbh. Zouma, Varane and Laporte will compete for a starter position in the french national squad imo. Zouma - Varane in a few years may well be the best pair of CB in the world pretty soon.

How is this ranking calculated ? There are some weird results. I'm bias as fuck when it comes to Hazard but even I don't think Alexis Sanchez, Gareth Bale, Sergio Aguero are worth only 2/3 of Eden Hazard... Neymar, Gotze, Suarez only half of Hazard's worth ? Seems crazy to me, I really wonder how this so-called football observatory got to this conclusion. But when you see that Neuer is worth 10m less that Courtois (35 for Neuer, 45 for Thibaut)... I mean no disrespect to Courtois but it shows this ranking should not be taken seriously imo.

I think that Eden should not be compared to Ronaldo and Messi. Those two players have progressively become the standards on which now every offensive football players are judged, and I really think it is hurtful to football in general. If anything, Eden should be compared to Iniesta, and that is who Eden should take as a model I think if he really wants to reach the best level he can. It's not a question of talent, but mentality. Hazard doesn't have the ego of Ronaldo and Messi. He doesn't want to crush others, to be regarded as the absolute best, I don't think it is his prior ambition as a football player. He wants to win trophies badly, of that i'm sure, but unlike Ronaldo and Messi, HE doesn't want to win trophies, he wants HIS TEAM to win trophies, there is a subtile, but important difference. To put it in a different way, he is way more humble so he will always put the team ahead of his personal stats. He will always see himself as a team-mate, before a leader. And i'm pretty sure, will always see himself as a builder rather than a finisher. Of course I don't know Eden personally (yet ), but I really think I'm quite right with this schematic "psychological" analysis of him. And what it tells me is that an Iniesta style of play would suit him better than a goalscoring machine style of play àla Messi/Ronaldo. BTW Messi is starting to change and mature, not as obsessed with goals as he was, and more to the service of the team. Many people see this as a relative decline of the argentinian, because he bangs less goals, I myself see his recent development as an improvement. The statistics of Andres Iniesta (in La Liga): 2003/04 : 3 goals 2004/05 : 2 goals 2005/06 : 0 goals 2006/07 : 6 goals 2007/08 : 3 goals 2008/09 : 4 goals 2009/10 : 1 goals 2010/11 : 8 goals 2011/12 : 2 goals 2012/13 : 3 goals 2013/14 : 3 goals And still, Andres Iniesta will rightfully be remembered as one of the very best offensive midfielder of the beginning of the century... And I think Eden has the ability to be an even better version of Iniesta. It would mean weigh on the overall game as much and as intelligently as Iniesta did, but also scoring more goals because he is simply better at it than the spaniard. Don't misunderstand me, I'd love to see Hazard score more goals. But if it means losing most of the playmaking side of his game, I'd rather he stays at his current goalscoaring tempo. Imo having the abilities of Iniesta is much more valuable than having the abilities of Mario Gomez.

Great video, thank you very much for all the work ! We will have 4 hours video tribute at the end of his career, can't wait for it ^^ For Ronaldo and Messi it'll be 10 hours video...

My lady, you have understood everything there is to understand to fully appreciate the joy of supporting Eden Hazard. Although he has always been a wonderful prospect, has known glory and fan expectations (more than fulfilled) since the age of 18, has been labellised best belgian player ever, has known fame, recognition, and money... Eden Hazard has always been loyal to who he is, as a human being, not as a football star. Friendly, humble, joyful... That's why he will never reach Messi or Ronaldo's goals stats level imo, he doesn't have "that" mentality, that ego. You have to want to crush others to reach their level, and Eden is incapable of that. That's why I will always respect him more than Ronaldo and Messi. Also his family is everything for him ; his close family more than everything of course, then his team (great teammate to have, that goes without saying...), but I really think he has a larger definition of "family" of which his fans are a large part. With his fans he has always been great. Accessible, joyful, and most of all very respectful. He left our club the best way possible, doing everything he could to help the club perfectly knowing the whole season that he wouldn't be there for the next. Like a true professional. During his transfer saga, which lasted a whole freaking year, media pushed him to go to PSG. Every post-match itw, every itw in fact was 80% about future transfer, 20% about his present football, present club. He repeatedly said that he would not go to PSG because in France his club was Lille. And he kept his promise despite all the media pressure and the huge wages that PSG offered. Even today, when he has an interview with a french media, the PSG comes up. Here is what he said to La Voix du Nord, two weeks ago : "If I come back to France, it will be Lille ! It is my club in Ligue 1, I can't see myself playing for another one. Coming back to Lille, I don't know if it will be possible, but in football you never know." And contrary to a certain Lampard, we Lille fans know we can blindly trust him, we will not be disappointed. If he says that he won't play for PSG, we know he will keep his promise. As for playing back in Lille's jersey, I can't see that happening before he's 34 but I will be so happy if it happens !! Also, it's amazing how he has never done anything wrong in his carreer. The two main "scandals" in his professional life is eating a burger and kicking a ball under a ballboy, without touching him, say it all There are many things that disgust me in modern football. Eden Hazard is one the main things that keep me attached to this sport.