Eden Hazard

[DYC. 7,542]

Exactly, I didn't ask for him to be messi though.

But if you look closely, all these similar players to hazard you brought out are all central attacking midfielders. That's why I advocated before that Hazard would be a beast behind the striker, wingers are more work horses bar messi who moves about.

I remember you often comparing him to Messi though. But my point was that you could look at any top player and wish he had this or that. But he can do things others can't.

Iniesta, Silva, Ronaldinho and Figo are all wide playmakers. Iniesta was a CM on paper but his role for Barca was practically the same as his role for Spain. Between a wide man and #10, constantly roaming. Same goes for Zidane. At Real anyway. 4-4-2, Zidane on the left in a free role. Very similar to Hazard.

Silva only recently moved into the #10 position, but he constantly moves into wide positions so another free role.

I honestly don't think Hazard's work rate and defending is bad. Far from it actually. He's better than Neymar and Bale in this for example, comparable to Robben and Reus. They seem to do fine for their teams. But he's no workhorse, definitely.

Strange comments considering Chelsea's right flank is the side that is constantly exposed. I didn't mind Hazard being benched at all tbh, but the comments are ridiculous. And you know what else cures conceding goals? Striking fear into your opponents by cutting them open and scoring goals.

[kellzfresh 7,229]

I remember you often comparing him to Messi though. But my point was that you could look at any top player and wish he had this or that. But he can do things others can't.

Iniesta, Silva, Ronaldinho and Figo are all wide playmakers. Iniesta was a CM on paper but his role for Barca was practically the same as his role for Spain. Between a wide man and #10, constantly roaming. Same goes for Zidane. At Real anyway. 4-4-2, Zidane on the left in a free role. Very similar to Hazard.

Silva only recently moved into the #10 position, but he constantly moves into wide positions so another free role.

I honestly don't think Hazard's work rate and defending is bad. Far from it actually. He's better than Neymar and Bale in this for example, comparable to Robben and Reus. They seem to do fine for their teams. But he's no workhorse, definitely.

Strange comments considering Chelsea's right flank is the side that is constantly exposed. I didn't mind Hazard being benched at all tbh, but the comments are ridiculous. And you know what else cures conceding goals? Striking fear into your opponents by cutting them open and scoring goals.

I dont like players like Iniesta, Silva and ozil to be my wingers, so it seems we have different preferences there.

How did we get to this point where it seems like I'm defending Mourinho's statement?? I'm not, Mourinho is wrong

The only reason why this is being discussed is because attacking wise, he isn't delivering if not we would have overlooked everything else because he's so good on form.

[DYC. 7,542]

I dont like players like Iniesta, Silva and ozil to be my wingers, so it seems we have different preferences there.

How did we get to this point where it seems like I'm defending Mourinho's statement?? I'm not, Mourinho is wrong

The only reason why this is being discussed is because attacking wise, he isn't delivering if not we would have overlooked everything else because he's so good on form.

I don't think I have a specific preference, it depends on the team. But I do tend to prefer pace on the flanks.

For all the positives Sanchez brings, I also find him very frustrating at times. He has a tendency to overdo or force things. And when space becomes limited, he can also become a bit lost. But he's a great player. Sanchez and Hazard are too different to compare imo, it's as bad as the Hazard-Neymar comparisons.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

Hazard's agent (father) is a complete idiot if he keeps Hazard at Chelsea for another year. Careers are short, can't be wasting your prime under a defensive minded manager. Mourinho is a pragmatist, Hazard's an artist. Two don't mix.

[Jase 43,479]

Hazard does fine defending, how many goals have we conceded from his side?

Pls Sanchez has two lungs he is like Willian in terms of work rate, he will never be like him in that sense.

People should appreciate our players for what they bring, there is a lot to like about Hazard for example. And stop making unrealistic comparison to other players.

Don't get me wrong. I completely agree with what you said there. I'm just trying to offer the perspective from Mourinho's side. Like many here, I wouldn't be so obsessed about Hazard needing to defend if I was the manager. It's holding him back from becoming even better.

On another note, it's quite embarrassing that Mourinho is always criticizing offensive players for their lack of defensive work (unless it's Fabregas...) but never defensive players for not defending properly. When asked defenders' mistakes, he will always say it's a team game and he will not blame individuals. But when it comes to attacking players, he will not hesitate to start naming names to the media.

[Despiadado.Maleante 1,046]

Fuk mourinho. His logic is getting worse by the day. The longer he stays at our club the more long term damage he does. His already got rid of Mata and kdb. Don't let him do the same to hazard. We are Unwatchable without him.

[Despiadado.Maleante 1,046]

And btw "I don't criticise player in public"

[Henrique 9,133]

I am happy we have a manager that has the balls to bench his star player.

Carlo when asked about a disagreement between Bale and Ronaldo on who takes the freekicks answered: " Ronaldo is the boss, if he wants to give the freekick to Bale, Bale can take it."

Do you want a manager that has no balls to punish their star player, even when they are under performing or acts like the king?

This worked before after the Atletico game.

And don't tell me about the love story between Ivanovic and Jose. If we got Stones/Marquinhos back in August/or kept Filipe, he'd have benched Ivanovic already. Baba is just not ready yet.

Same goes for Cesc, no decent replacement for him. Remove him from our team and we will struggle to create even more.

Every other player has been punished: JT, Cahill, Matic, Eden, Falcao (not selected twice), Oscar. There are no untouchables, the problem is quality depth.

And no, an alpha does not run away from his responsibilities and problems. A beta does.

No one is talking about balls or lack of ball (actually the balls talk was a excuse Mourinho introduced seasons ago to explaing why his team was playing a poor football).

There is no problem at all when a player is droppes, the problem is the reason why.

Hazard was dropped bacause the team was conceding too many goals. Its like dropping Terry because the team is not scoring enough goals.

[ack17 205]

[stroey 2,525]

Why can he praise Hazard so many times and call him the 3rd best player of the world last season, plus complaining every month why Hazard didn't get a Player of the month trophy, and currently can't even criticize him?

Hazard has started the majority of the games this season where we've lost, was he decisive at all? The only game where he showed up was a preseason game against Barca, maybe because it was Barca. 0 official goals and maybe 1-2 assists this season for your best paid and star player.

Schurrle said the other day that Eden is the only one with more freedom. So if you're not decisive in attack, you should do the basics good which is covering for the back behind you. If Jose said: ''because he isn't good in attack'', then the media plus fans would say ''but Pedro is worse''. But it is a fact that he isn't doing the defensive part of work well, so it's better to say that cause that is a fact.

Just because you're super talented and skilled plus the best player last season, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want and skip defensive duties. See Costa, he was our top scorer last season and very important for the league title. But has he stopped to pressing opponents? He started not well but he gave his all in every game he played, plus took the responsibilities for coming back overweight. What about Willian? Has been good whole 2015, but now even added goals to his game, has he stopped tracking back yesterday? No he kept on running and defending even in the last minutes of the game. Same goes for Azpi.

Different personalities need different treatment, shy guys like Ramires, Willian, Ozil and Oscar were barely criticized by Jose. Public criticism worked before for Hazard, hopefully he can come back stronger again instead of running away from his responsibilities.

[Jase 43,479]

Why can he praise Hazard so many times and call him the 3rd best player of the world last season, plus complaining every month why Hazard didn't get a Player of the month trophy, and currently can't even criticize him?

Mourinho can criticize Hazard but not for the reasons mentioned. Others have been extremely slack in their defensive work but they have hardly been mentioned in the public but Hazard, who is hardly bad at defending, has been unfairly criticized. Where's the logic in that?

Different personalities need different treatment, shy guys like Ramires, Willian, Ozil and Oscar were barely criticized by Jose. Public criticism worked before for Hazard, hopefully he can come back stronger again instead of running away from his responsibilities.

In a way, that is true but I don't really buy that. The perceived purpose of public criticism is to see how players react and help them become better. It's basically a challenge for everyone. So, I don't see why that only applies to non-shy personalities. If they are strong enough, they can take it. Public criticism has worked for Hazard before but managers can't keep on doing that, especially when the reason isn't justified. And why does he need to criticize players in the public so often? Are you saying that criticizing them in private won't make them improve and get better? If that's the case, then maybe Mourinho's so called excellent man-management is a myth.

[stroey 2,525]

Mourinho can criticize Hazard but not for the reasons mentioned. Others have been extremely slack in their defensive work but they have hardly been mentioned in the public but Hazard, who is hardly bad at defending, has been unfairly criticized. Where's the logic in that?

In a way, that is true but I don't really buy that. The perceived purpose of public criticism is to see how players react and help them become better. It's basically a challenge for everyone. So, I don't see why that only applies to non-shy personalities. If they are strong enough, they can take it. Public criticism has worked for Hazard before but managers can't keep on doing that, especially when the reason isn't justified. And why does he need to criticize players in the public so often? Are you saying that criticizing them in private won't make them improve and get better? If that's the case, then maybe Mourinho's so called excellent man-management is a myth.

I can only quote others:

Maniche

http://sportwitness....reveals-secrets

Speaking to France Football about Mourinho’s start to the season, former-Mourinho player Maniche explained whether the whole “you either love him or you hate him” motto about his old manager also applied in the dressing room.

He said: “Mister knows how to talk to each of his players. He knows which ones he needs to shout at and which ones he needs to pamper in order to get the best out of them. His speech is direct and in your face, and that’s good for everybody. I remember everyone respecting him because he did everything to win. Even those who played very little or didn’t at all.

“He’s close to his players, he doesn’t forget anyone. He sometimes even talks more to those who don’t play than those who do regularly, because he knows that the most important is the team, and that he may need everyone. People often speak about Mourinho’s communication. What matters to the players is what he brings, what he tells them.”

The former Portuguese midfielder knows Mourinho like few do, having been managed by the Special One at four different clubs (Benfica, Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan), and Maniche firmly believes the Chelsea manager has what it takes to turn things around.

He added: “Football is full of good and bad surprises. I don’t know what the board members’ plans are, but if they keep faith in him as they’ve done until now, Mister Mourinho will redress the situation.

“He’s got such confidence in his abilities and in his players that he’ll manage it. He know how to get them where he wants them.”

Jose himself:

Mesut Ozil needs special treatment because he is 'sensitive', believes Jose Mourinho

Mourinho added: 'At the same time, I learned with him because we were together for quite a long time, that he's a very sensitive boy. He needs confidence. He needs trust. He needs to feel that people is with him. When he's on the pitch, every time he touches the ball, the ball goes beautiful.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2662456/Mesut-Ozil-needs-special-treatment-hes-sensitive-believes-Jose-Mourinho.html

CFC players know Jose sometimes try get a reaction from them by saying/challenging them trough the media.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I can see him leaving at the end of the season - if Mourinho doesn't.

[Kieran. 6,317]

I can see him leaving at the end of the season - if Mourinho doesn't.

Agreed mate, probably gonna be one or the other. Think it'll be hazard though.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Agreed mate, probably gonna be one or the other. Think it'll be hazard though.

His body language is very poor - clearly not in the right place mentally and is being scrutinised for every little misstep. The irony is delicious considering Ivanovic has been even worse. The thing is, even in a poor performance, Hazard can do something in a second, a flash of brilliance to change a game. As you say, it'll be one or the other. Mourinho prefers functional players over stylish ones, though I suppose there have been one or two exceptions.

[zolayes 14,489]

Think positive ... think of the profit we will make we will be top of the FFP table ,, will we get a trophy for that ???

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Think positive ... think of the profit we will make we will be top of the FFP table ,, will we get a trophy for that ???

If they do a "Financial Fair Play Award" akin to the one for player discipline, it might earn us a 19th qualifying round Europa League draw against a team from Outer Mongolia.

[sir_volrath 61]

Hazard won't be here next season.