🇧🇪 Eden Hazard

[Thor 2,817]

Teams are sitting back more against us, and it is becoming harder for us to break down defences. To add to that, we don't have the quality around Hazard to help him to create and kick it up another gear. Our link up play is great when the game is open, but we aren't good enough in closed down games because we don't have the players for it.

 

He is a top 5 player in the world. Teams load up against him. More so than other top players, because he simply doesn't have the talent the other 5 have around him. Easier to shut down Hazard when he is one of the few you have to concentrate on. Not so much the case for Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Saurez, etc. 

[quickpassnmove 924]

12 hours ago, Thor said:

Teams are sitting back more against us, and it is becoming harder for us to break down defences. To add to that, we don't have the quality around Hazard to help him to create and kick it up another gear. Our link up play is great when the game is open, but we aren't good enough in closed down games because we don't have the players for it.

 

He is a top 5 player in the world. Teams load up against him. More so than other top players, because he simply doesn't have the talent the other 5 have around him. Easier to shut down Hazard when he is one of the few you have to concentrate on. Not so much the case for Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Saurez, etc. 

That's exactly right. I would still prefer to talk less about Hazard's shortcomings and more about the fact that the CM and LB near him don't present any consistent, high-paced threat for combination play. Hazard is still being attacked on his own island there, on the right. Passes between Matic, Hazard and Alonso will never produce a great threat against sides that sit back so much and focus on Eden.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Matic just behind in black cleaning up after hazard 

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

4 hours ago, kellzfresh said:

Matic just behind in black cleaning up after hazard 

Matic has nice style. Much better than Ivanovic's lol.

[Chelsea? 892]

What's wrong with him lately. Playing like he needs a few weeks off. Think he's the reason our attack seems stale lately 

[Blue Armour 4,714]

Thought he did really well, considering how little he got of the ball in the first half and early parts of the second. Him and Moses on the right were the main reasons why we had any sort possession in the game, and of course it was the foul on Hazard that led to the Luiz's free kick.

Having said that, I don't think he enjoys playing in this kind of game. Team is on the defense, and Matic/Alonso are struggling to get the ball to him. Barring Willian on the other end, he has no one to really link up play and create the chances. 

I think he has better time combining with Pedro and Fabregas. The only other person thinking as quick as Hazard on the  pitch was Kante.

Also, I hope he stays on the pitch longer than he has for recent games. Like Ballack remarked, I think he is a confidence player and he likes to be acknowledged for what he contributes. Of late, the spotlight has been on Costa. It's far cry from the last couple of seasons, were everything HAD to go through Hazard.

I could be wrong, but my guess is that Conte was going for a draw by withdrawing him and Willian for Pedro and Cesc. And saving Hazard to be fresh for the game against Arsenal. 

 

[manpe 10,861]

That last ditch tackle he made in the box though followed by Firmino's derp... dope And I did notice him trying to create something out of nothing, but the problem was that we were too few and limited in attack. He had only Costa and Willian to combine with, who were not on the same wavelength with him. In the end they neutralized him pretty effectively because we simply can't handle intense pressure with composure.

[Styles 9,790]

Hard for any attacker to play well when your team plays shit on a stick football, can't build play and you have a striker with the first touch of a brick wall. I could see how frustrated he was last night and you can't blame him.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

He had only one dribble completed against liverpool. As I said before, any match he's playing average, it means he wasn't on his dribbling best. 

I think we're too harsh on him. We're expecting him to play well even when the rest of the team isn’t. 

Hazard isn't the type of player to do it by himself, he isn’t messi, Ronaldo or Suarez. Or he also isn't like bale who can have a poor game and and score a goal to win the game. He needs the whole midfield and attack performing to help him play well. He doesn't have high energy like Sanchez to try and make things happen every single time he touches the ball, and he's not strong enough to shrug off tackles and still dribble through. This is making it difficult for him.

Hopefully we get a midfielder who can create, can spot runs and still defend so that Hazard can have someone better than Matic behind him.

[FabHazard 655]

I would not be surprised if hazard loses his first team spot. .Conte does not like players who do not press the opposition...as long as hazard's attacking play compensates his defensive play he will start. . I know that I am too harsh on him. . .I don't like this excuse that his team mates are not good enough. . . Every player has limitations. . Matic and Alonso could argue that hazard's pressing and defensive play is not good enough and they have to work twice as hard. . I hope that hazard improves  and fires us to the title 

[Amblève. 4,995]

1 hour ago, FabHazard said:

I would not be surprised if hazard loses his first team spot. .Conte does not like players who do not press the opposition...as long as hazard's attacking play compensates his defensive play he will start. . I know that I am too harsh on him. . .I don't like this excuse that his team mates are not good enough. . . Every player has limitations. . Matic and Alonso could argue that hazard's pressing and defensive play is not good enough and they have to work twice as hard. . I hope that hazard improves  and fires us to the title 

Hazard had his probably best defensive game for us ever yesterday. Clyne didn't do anything all night long because Hazard was doing his part closing out and blocking passing lanes.

[Mufassir08 2,400]

The skill he pulled off when he was surrounded by 3 or 4 Liverpool players and he just flicked the ball from the outside of his boot for Matic who had tons of space was absolutely class.

[Roquila 1,335]

3 hours ago, Mufassir08 said:

The skill he pulled off when he was surrounded by 3 or 4 Liverpool players and he jut flicked the ball from the outside of his boot for Matic who had tons of space was absolutely class.

Yeah man, what a total highlight of the match. /s

[Chelsea? 892]

He'll get back on form when the weather improves. Flair players enjoy warm weather. 

[Despiadado.Maleante 1,046]

He is back to his 2013/14 form. World class some weeks and decent in others. It's most annoying because he is capable of keeping consistent like in 14/15 were he barely had a poor game all year.

[Blue Armour 4,714]

15 hours ago, Styles said:

Hard for any attacker to play well when your team plays shit on a stick football, can't build play and you have a striker with the first touch of a brick wall. I could see how frustrated he was last night and you can't blame him.

Yeah, our play was pretty poor in the early half. Oddly the play, as well as Costa himself, seemed to improve after the substitutions, but I guess that was more down to Pedro running at Liverpools tired defence, and Fabregas adding an extra man in midfield.

[Blue Armour 4,714]

9 hours ago, kellzfresh said:

He had only one dribble completed against liverpool. As I said before, any match he's playing average, it means he wasn't on his dribbling best. 

I think we're too harsh on him. We're expecting him to play well even when the rest of the team isn’t. 

Hazard isn't the type of player to do it by himself, he isn’t messi, Ronaldo or Suarez. Or he also isn't like bale who can have a poor game and and score a goal to win the game. He needs the whole midfield and attack performing to help him play well. He doesn't have high energy like Sanchez to try and make things happen every single time he touches the ball, and he's not strong enough to shrug off tackles and still dribble through. This is making it difficult for him.

Hopefully we get a midfielder who can create, can spot runs and still defend so that Hazard can have someone better than Matic behind him.

I agree with most of your post, but not entirely with the part in bold. I think there are plenty of games where he alone was the difference, maybe not this season, but in seasons past. Just think of the games where he was the only one on the scoresheet and we failed to get a win.

In recent games, I sense that he's just not straying out of his comfort zone too much, especially with the rest of the team playing well for the most part. Yesterday, I think he tried to make a difference, but no one else was doing a good job combining with him. Costa was atypically sluggish until Pedro and Fabregas came on.

[Polo7 3,496]

Smiled when Diego  Missed the penalty. What a cuntish thing to do!

[kellzfresh 7,229]

9 hours ago, Blue Armour said:

I agree with most of your post, but not entirely with the part in bold. I think there are plenty of games where he alone was the difference, maybe not this season, but in seasons past. Just think of the games where he was the only one on the scoresheet and we failed to get a win.

In recent games, I sense that he's just not straying out of his comfort zone too much, especially with the rest of the team playing well for the most part. Yesterday, I think he tried to make a difference, but no one else was doing a good job combining with him. Costa was atypically sluggish until Pedro and Fabregas came on.

He is sometimes, but its only in the season he won player of the year where he was so consistent throughout the whole season and showed the desire to carry the team on his back to the title. Maybe that burnt him out because Since then, he's been world-class in one month, okay in the next month.

And I think the main reason is before, when the premier League opponents kick him, he still dribbled(at least 6 dribbles per match) and made things happen no matter what. But since his injury last season, he doesn't ride challenges anymore and can easily be stopped in his tracks with a foul. I don't blame him for trying to protect himself but he can never be as creative as KDB or fabregas except through his dribbling which he isn’t motivated to do as consistently as his prime. 

He isn’t helped by the terrible passing percentage the whole team had against liverpool but since he's not as strong on the ball consistently like before, even when he gets it I'm not sure if he can dribble past two players marking him like he used to do in every match in past seasons. 

[LukakutoStamford 779]

The problem is that Hazard is either having to come back the to midline to help crack pressure and he's getting 3-4 player surrounding him. The midfield passing against Liverpool was appalling save for Cesc's cameo. Matic Kante is far too limited as a pair. Chelsea needs someone like Cesc/Mousa Demeble who can can create space with passing or dribbing to draw men towards them and away from Hazard.

I always find it odd that Hazard gets so much stick for having off games when he gets so little help. 

Messi Ronaldo have so much talent around them that if focus on them the rest of the team can win easily.

Choke off Hazard and the offensive play looks stagnant at best unless Cesc is in there.

I wish Conte would look at either a 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2 with Hazard as a shadow striker or CaM to Costa and Batshuayi