Hkibou

I know i'm a Lille fan so little biased but for me this pass is to be credited 50% to Rudi Garcia. He is a tactical genius, and he is the one who sees space in the tactics frequent positioning of the opponents, and knows what combination of runs and passes to work at training. No doubt Pjanic was aware of the possibilities of this kind of passes thanks to Garcia's work. Actually Hazard got his tactical awakening thanks to Garcia !

Iniesta never developped that "killer instinct" nevertheless he's been a more than credible ballon d'or contender. It's not in Eden's personnality to be the goal scorer, he prefers to set up the goals for someone else. I don't know why but that's how it is... So good for him if he develops this "killer instinct" you want him to have, I just hope it won't blur his mind and makes him lose sight of what's really football for him since he was a child. I think I'd rather he stays like he is and develops his tactical skills to become like Iniesta, than become a goal-scoring machine only obsessed by the idea of putting the ball in the net.

To be fair his first intention pass for Etoo led to Hazard dribbling Lloris and almost scoring. Eden should have, but he was not in a good day... He lacked creativity and confidence in his ability, so he was too slow. Having the most creative midfielder and best passer in low form is very bad news for the Schurrle type player whose best weapon is off the ball runs. And when Hazard started to play faster and simpler, with beautiful passes behind the defense, Schurrle had already been subbed. Also he made a great run in first half, but Etoo chose to ignore him and went for himself and failed. He was probably thinking about how much he wanted to do hislittle celebration, may have cost an opening goal for Andre.

Me too, don't agree. Let's wait to see what Bale will do in the long run (Robben was as talented and failed to make an impact there). And from a relative perspective, i'm too young to have watched them, but Puskas, Kopa and Di Stefano leading the offensive was monstruous. The 3 best players in the world and the best sweeper Santamaria. Also the galactics era can compete. The Raul-Ronaldo-Figo trio is as indtimidating as Benz-CR-Bale, and as much as i like Modric, he's no Zidane ! As for the Courtois/Cech dilemma, Cech is untouchable for me. He's a legend, that's all. You don't question a legend when he's playing as the level he is expected to : worldclass. Mourinho benched Casillas because he was undermining his authority and also because he wasnt performing at his true level. Not only Cech has a tremendous season, he would also never get arrogant or be a trouble maker. For all that, benching him is just unthinkable. He's still at the top of his game, so even if Courtois was brought in and put in a fair concurrence with Cech by Mou, I think Cech would win. He's just too important. He does not need any time to adapt unlike Courtois. As for Courtois, he's so talented that benching him would be an insult to the sport. So another loan, i guess. Maybe this time in Premier League, but I feel Courtois would ask to be loaned to a club where he could play Champions League football, and I don't see Chelsea loaning him to any contender for the title.

To DD : Playing againt Chelsea was a particular moment, Eden Hazard is a good successor ? DD : Yes it was a particular match, but in Champion's League only the results matter. I think they took advantage of our mistakes in first half. We reacted in second half, and we were able to get them into trouble. Eden said that he was confident that at the Bridges it will something else Of course it will be difficult, they are better, more experienced than us. They will have to control the game, the maetro here will have to keep a strong hand on the match... We'll go there and try to maintain the dream. You knew it'd be a special match here, I reckon it'll be even more at Chelsea... Yes, but wait till we're there... (Clearly he doesn't want to talk the subject further) (the journalist insists) It will make you feel a pang ? We'll see there, we'll see there... Eden interrupts, probably seeing Drogba doesn't want to elaborate : I will pinch you if you want ! (pun with the word pang which is said a pinch at the heart in french) DD : True ? Eden : For you man DD : He said it all. I don't need to talk now. (laughters) 1-1, everything's still possible, are you more confident for Chelsea than Galatasaray, Eden ? Eden : As I said we'll be at home so we have no choice but be serious and throw a big match, as I said also we have other critical confrontations until the reception of Gala. We have to be serious at every game. You're the maestro as Didier said... But it's Didier who left quite a mark at Chelsea, no ? Eden ; Yes every day it's Didier, Didier, Didier, Didier... we hear it so... DD : He's fed up ! Leave him be... Eden, regaining seriousness : No but it's a pleasure to play against such players, it's a pleasure to play in a club who has grown such players... I think i was too late, I'd have liked to play with him. He also i think would have liked to play with me, but this shan't be said... (laughters) DD : I' happy he is in this club, i think it was the right choice for his development, for his career. No has all the cards in his hands. You will play against each other also for you national teams, for a friendly match... DD : Yes, btw Eden you keep your shirt so we can exchange... End of the interview. Sounds very weird when you put it on paper.

This match is a proof to my preach : when he has a drop of form, it's less a question of tiredness rather than of stafe of mind. He was not magically less tired in second half. He decided to step up his game, somehow he regains the confidence he can do it, and he starts seeing things more clearly when the ball is at his feet. I think Mourinho can build on this match with Eden to expend his inner boundaries.

Il a surtout besoin que Mou lui remonte les bretelles à la mi-temps ! Et lui remette les idées en place.

It's not a question of tiredness, it's a question of state of mind. He's being shy, only choses the most safe alternative...

Galatasaray is lucky, Eden is in a bad day, we can see he has no confidence today.

Yes, he said all those things in another video (http://www.canalplus.fr/c-sport/c-football/c-ligue-1/pid6219-canal-football-club.html?vid=1025868) which is not the "official" interview, it's a "casual" conversation with some guy I don't know, who seems to be there to welcome him in France or smthg.

Would you like to coach a french team one day ? I am really really happy right now with Chelsea, which is more than a club for me, I have a special history with Chelsea. Also I like the current project/ambitions of Chelsea. But why not working in France in the future. I think that nowadays some leagues are less attractive than the BPL, because it's too easy to say who's gonna win the title, who will be the second... Right now in my career I feel that I need more suspens than that. Qatari's emir reallu likes you, you were his priority last summer, how did you manage to deny his proposals ? I didn't say yes or no, because I didn't receive any concrete, direct offer. Yes we have contacts and we respect each other, I had the honor to wisit his mansion in Qatar a few years ago, before he would buy PSG. But after Real Madrid I was very direct, I said to everybody my wish was to go back to England, to Chelsea, and I didn't want to encourage false hopes. Like right now when I say i want to stay at Chelsea, where I have a four years contract. Is PSG a favourite contender for the CL this year ? It's hard to call them favourites. PSG has some great players which are at the peak of their career, who have experience, so I think that if they win, it would not a big surprise. But if they don't, it wouldn't be a surprise either. Would you like to have Zlatan at Chelsea ? It's impossible. It's another topic on which i don't whant to entertain false hopes because it's impossible. I know he is happy at Paris because we have contacts. Paris doesn't want him to leave, and with their financial power, it's mission impossible. What about Edinson Cavani, is it mission impossible ? I think so, because PSG have spent a lot of money on him, he has incredible wages. Maybe not as impossible as Zlatan because Zlatan is more important in the club structure, but also very difficult. I don't know how the other club plan things, but at Chelsea we think the financial fair play is coming very soon. Some clubs seem not to be aware of that, but Chelsea now is working to be at the equilibrium, financially speaking. That makes some things impossible to Chelsea, or at least more difficult. But do you like Edinson Cavani's profile ? Yes I do, i think he's an excellent player. How about a switch Cavani/Hazard, is that possible ? No, Eden is our boy. It's our star for the ten years to come, around which we will build the team. He has this style of football, style of being that we want to have. Even for 100m euros ? That would mean there is no FFP. And even if there is FFP, we would have the money to deny such an offer. Thank You José Mourinho, you speak french so well, you will coach Paris or Monaco one day, won't you ? I speak english better. (laughters)

'Please José no mindgames this time... Please please pleaaaaase !' 'FUCK IT ! I'm off."

An extract from the autobiography of Rudi Garcia, current manager of la Roma, ex-manager of Lille (2008-2013) : L'une des scènes fortes du livre remonte à 2011 dans le vestiaire de Luchin, le QG du LOSC, où Gervinho reçoit un appel de son pote Drogba, alors à Chelsea. «Didier lui demanda si Hazard était ses côtés. "Oui, il est là !" "Passe-le-moi, quelqu'un veut lui parler." Au bout du fil : Roman Abramovitch, qui n'y alla pas par quatre chemins : "Je ne sais pas combien tu gagnes à Lille mais je triple ton salaire !"» Le prodige belge rejoindra Londres la saison suivante (contre 40ME) : «Nous avions été contraints de réaménager le contrat d'Eden, dans l'urgence et dans des proportions non négligeables. Pour un an, pas plus. Impossible d'aller au delà.» One of the memorable scenes of the book dates back to 2011 in the locker room of Luchin, the headquarters of the LOSC, where Gervinho gets a call from his mate Drogba, Chelsea player at the time. "Didier asked him if Hazard was at his sides." 'Yes, he's there !' 'Give him the phone, someone wants to talk to him'. "On the other end of the line : Roman Abramovitch, who didn't beat around the bush : 'I don't know how much you earn at Lille, but I will triple it !' The belgian gem would sign for the Blues one year later : "We had to renegociate Eden contract urgently, in non negligeable proportions. Only for a year, no more. Beyond that, it was impossible."

Quick translation of the interview : L'Equipe : Was the game against City the best in your career so far ? Eden : It was a great game, i performed very well. I watched it on TV later, I missed very few things. All that I tried, I succeeded because I had a lot of confidence in me. I have to try and reproduce this type of match as often as possible. L'Equipe : Is your current level the fruits of your labour since you left Lille ? (Yes, french journalists always ask shitty questions like that...) Eden : I worked like any professionnal players do. Rather than training, it's the succession of big matches in Premier League that are important for my progression. I don't say to myself : "Tomorrow I will work to be a better player". No, I will be better if I play well every week and in big matches. I have been in good form for two-three months now, I hope for Chelsea and me that it will last. But one must not get ahead of oneself. Just try to be better each time than the last. Have you reached the personnal goals that you had set for yourself ? E.H : It's my second season here. I play every week in one of the best clubs in the world. I still have to work on regularity and efficiency. But each year I feel I make progress, I am in an updraft. Now it's up to me to stay focused and take it to the next level. How do you rate Jose Mourniho ? E.H : His palmares speaks for itself. He won trophies with every clubs he's managed. Nobody had beaten City at Etihad this season. There's no discussion possible, thos who were still doubting his competence have to stop ! He's already proven that he's the best manager in the world. Is he close to his players ? E.H : I have a very simple relationship with him. He trusts his players without being constantly behind their shoulders, checking in on them. He likes to tease us and have fun so that there will be a good atmosphere and us players would feel at ease. Sometimes, he's angry but it's normal. I have absolutely no problem with him, I get loads of playing time and I get to give the best of myself. You had little troubles when you lost your passport when you came back to France... E.H : He made me understand what had happened, deprived me of the next game against Schalke in UCL. The game that followed against WBA, I was on the pitch. And i scored a penalty at the last minute. It proves that we're not dead to him when we make a mistake. He has that intelligence. He tries to understand and supervise like a father would do with his children. Your name has been mentioned once again during this winter transfer window... E.H : Leaving Chelsea has never been on topic for me. I'm happy at Chelsea and still have much to do here. Yet your name is often associated with PSG... E.H : It's flattering to see big teams like PSG interested in me.But it doesn't trouble me. I'm very well aware of what I want, where I wanna go. Nobody's gonna change my mind. My aim is to be the best with Chelsea. A youngster like me have the chance to learn every day with highly experienced pros like Lampard, Terry, Cech, Etoo. Thay all have won so many trophies. I try to build myself on their models. It makes me better. That's why I think my best years are still ahead of me. Does it strengthen your choice to have come to Chelsea ? E.H : We'll see in 3 or 4 years if I win trophies. I came to Chelsea because I knew I would get playing time. Since then I've made good friends at Chelsea, where people have liked me very rapidly. Has the way supporters look at you changed ? E.H : Frankly, I don't care what people think of me. Messi and Ronaldo are the two best in the world and they're both hated and loved. It's just the way it is. How do you rate yourself in comparison to these two players ?$ E.H : I'm a lot younger than them. Thay have a palmares that I don't. But I have nothing to envy them at my age. If i want to get to their level, I have to win trophies. It's up to me. Will you compete with them for the title of best player in the world ? E.H: It's too soon to tell. I'm on the right path, but I still got a lot to do especially in the big matches. You have to score constantly, like Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo and Messi. I have to keep on working to get to their level. Is that what Mourinho is asking of you ? E.H : He doesn't ask one thing in particular. Trainings are always kind of the same whoever the coach is. He won't tell me what I have to do, individually. I have to feel it. Mourinho makes us aware of our responsabilities. In France, it was like "we're all going to do muscle-development". Here, if you don't want to do these exercise, you can avoid them for years. On the other hand, you have to be at your best on the pitch. How far can you lead Chelsea ? E.H : We'll see. We're still in the race for 3 competitions. We're not favorite for the UCL because there are better teams than ours. Premier League, we'll see. If we play every games like we did against City, we'll be champions. But I will do nothing by my own. If we get to win trophies, it will be thanks to the whole team.

For the french speaking fans, a double page dedicated to Hazard in today's L'Equipe, with an interview of Eden : http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/524559kipl20140211.jpg On the subject of his departure to PSG, they quote an inside source at CFC (no name given though) : 'Jose Mourinho has tied his own future at Chelsea to the ones of Hazard and Oscar, who he absolutely wants to stay. With Hazard, Roman Abramovitch is convinced he has recruited the world's best player for the years to come, so he won't pay attention to any offer no matter the astronomic sum they could reach. Btw, he has never let a player go for financial reasons.'

That was what Eden said a few years ago when asked which one of the Hazard brothers was the best, he'd always answer that Kyllian and Thorgan had more potential than him. No-one could say for sure then, but now it's pretty clear he was just being a nice big brother. Thorgan is very good and has a great potential, but he's 20 yo now, and far from showing the skills Eden already was at the same age.

I subscribed to bluemoon during Eden's transfer saga when it seemed likely he would go to City. They were such pricks, totally under-rating him just because they didn't know him and the club he played for. Hell, most of them were saying that Balotelli was way better than Hazard

That's the mark not of a worldclass, but a mythclass player. Lamps has a record to improve, but as a great player as he is, he knows the importance of a had trick in the blooming of a rising star. Humbly, he puts his pride/ambition aside, and choses what's best for the team. Love it, just this goal could have held a whole episode of Captain Tsubasa. Didn't see the game and the duel Debuchy/Hazard so i don't know how Debuchy performed... I've known them both since they were seventeen but never actually against each other. But the second goal was inevitable. Debuchy knows how ridiculed he would have ended up facing an Eden running forward in that area. He chose the easy way Hazard's league personnal record is 20 goals. 9 to go !

I'm afraid it takes more time than that to achieve perfection, the kind that Barca flirted with a few years ago...

Even if talking about pure skills Chelsea has the edge, right now if both teams were to play against each other, i'm pretty sure Barca would still be technically superior. Cause individual skills thrive in collectiveness, in stability, in knowledge of your partners. That's what the difference is between a player with pure technical skills (Hatem Ben Arfa matches Messi in that aspect), and a technical player, who's able to put these skills at the service of the game.

You didn't fully understand the meaning of what pure technicall skills is then

Etoo-Mata-Hazard-Oscar-De Bruyne-Wilian In terms of pure technical skills it matches (even surpasses for me) Barcelone and the six Messi-Pedro-Sanchez-Iniesta-Neymar- Fabregas

And Lucas Digne... Which is the worst in all of this. Lucas Digne, one of the only U20 WC champions who has left an ounce of professionalism and loyalty in him, ends up being the only "victim" of the system. The only one who's forced to leave the LOSC, a club he didn't want to leave in the short term, due to "a transfer fee that couldn't be refused"... The current football system is a system which remunerates dumbness.

Florian Thauvin who has not been to training and demands a transfer to OM without having played one minute with the LOSC, outrageously disregarding his contractual (and moral, professionnal, ethical...) obligations. Paul Pogba who showed no sign of loyalty or respect toward Manchester United which has formed him, and who's been despised pubicly by Ferguson for his behaviour and mentality. Kondogbia who after one season promptly quits Sevilla (the club who has bet on him when he wasn't in the highlights, who has offered him a very good wage so far, and an even better one if he had signed their contract prolongation proposal), and doesn't show up at training one week before Monaco has agreed terms with Sevilla... Griezmann, Mvila banned from selection one year for going to clubs in Paris two nights before a crucial U21 game... The new french generation is no better than Nasri, Ben Arfa, Benzema or Ribery in his early days... We have learnt nothing from Knysna.

His left foot has good power but is not very precise for long range passes and centres. For centres, which require a lot of accuracy, he'd rather do a rabona than shooting with the left foot, that says it all ! I feel that he has confidence in his left foot only for shots on goal and passes that stay on the ground.