Eden Hazard

[The Skipper 20,593]

12 minutes ago, MrExcalibur100 said:

How many of those games were at Lille?  More importantly, how many of those games were big games vs Top European teams? I seem to remember Hazard not scoring against Schalke and Galatasaray but still playing very well. We've played PSG and Atletico Madrid and he's scored twice in those games (the only big teams we've faced in that competition since Hazard has been at Chelsea), most of them with no help and having to play left back.

Most importantly, what does that have to do with my comment  about big games, nothing since most of those games haven't been in big games.  Really bizarre argumentation and not befitting of this thread as Eden only deserves praise right now. 

6 of them were against were for Lille, the rest for CFC (30). He scored 2 goals vs. Maribor, 2 vs PSG, 1 vs. Schalke. Obviously, I take away nothing from his performance, but we're talking about something that's irrelevant to the game he's played just now. We're having a much broader discussion than that. I'm not using it as a stick to beat him with, your post just sounded like you put him level with Didier when it comes to big game performances, and I stated that his record in the CL isn't anywhere near as good as someone like Didier, or even Lamps. Several of our former players have been better than him in the CL. 

I'm using the CL as a barometer because it's the top competition in world football. The only amazing performances befitting of his talent that he's had in the CL are those games against PSG, and we know he's much better/consistent than that. I want him to prove it, because I know he has the ability. We've discussed this before, and I acknowledge that the situation here at CFC obviously hasn't been ideal - I'm sure if he was at Real for example, he would've had a lot more top performances in the CL. But that doesn't mean I can't say he must do better there. Like I said, he has next season to put this stuff to bed. It's one of the few things that stops people acknowledging what a great player he is.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

6 minutes ago, The Skipper said:

6 of them were against were for Lille, the rest for CFC (30). He scored 2 goals vs. Maribor, 2 vs PSG, 1 vs. Schalke. Obviously, I take away nothing from his performance, but we're talking about something that's irrelevant to the game he's played just now. We're having a much broader discussion than that. I'm not using it as a stick to beat him with, your post just sounded like you put him level with Didier when it comes to big game performances, and I stated that his record in the CL isn't anywhere near as good as someone like Didier, or even Lamps. Several of our former players have been better than him in the CL. 

I'm using the CL as a barometer because it's the top competition in world football. The only amazing performances befitting of his talent that he's had in the CL are those games against PSG, and we know he's much better/consistent than that. I want him to prove it, because I know he has the ability. We've discussed this before, and I acknowledge that the situation here at CFC obviously hasn't been ideal - I'm sure if he was at Real for example, he would've had a lot more top performances in the CL. But that doesn't mean I can't say he must do better there. Like I said, he has next season to put this stuff to bed. It's one of the few things that stops people acknowledging what a great player he is.

(i) 2013/14 vs PSG 1st leg (away) - Hazard plays well despite barely seeing the ball (a classic problem he and all our forwards had under Mourinho). Scores a goal and hits the post with a volley. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/26811631 

(ii) 2013/14 vs PSG 2nd leg (home) - Barely plays for 30 mins and goes off injured. Shouldn't have played at all really but Mourinho shoehorned him into the side. Out for 3 weeks.

(iii) 2013/14 vs Atletico Madrid 1st leg (away) - Did not play. Still injured.

(iv) 2013/14 vs Atletico Madrid 2nd leg (home) - 1st game out for 3 weeks which is a big problem at that level. Still rusty, playing in the most defensive XI ^^^ I've ever seen at the Bridge.

(v) 2014/15 vs PSG 1st leg (away) - One of the most embarrassing defensive displays I've ever seen under Mourinho. Hazard played as a left back all game. Willian RB. Costa barely got a sniff. Pathetic tactics.

(vi) 2014/15 vs PSG 2nd leg (Home) - By far the best player in blue on the day. The only player with any game changing quality at the time trying everything vs top class defenders who were particularly defensive because they were down to 10 men. Mourinho's inability to train high quality coordinated attacks also didn't help us in that game as well.

So where are the so-called big games in the CL Hazard has apparently not performed in for us? It's just a bunch of bullshit. You can argue his scoring record in the competition is not great, but 

(1) That was not my initial point of argumentation. I stated he was the best big game performer in CFC history (at least I've seen) alongside Drogba. with Didier being (1) and Eden being (2). I think that's fair comment to make.

(2) You started talking about his CL record which is neither here no there. It's just numbers with no real meaning without any context. 

So imagine in a hypothetical scenario Hazard goes to Madrid next season, does anyone really believe he won't be one of the most dominant players in the tournament? It's just an inane stick to beat him with at this point. 

[The Skipper 20,593]

33 minutes ago, MrExcalibur100 said:

2013/14 vs PSG 1st leg (away) - Hazard plays well despite barely seeing the ball (a classic problem he and all our forwards had under Mourinho). Scores a goal and hits the post with a volley. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/26811631 

2013/14 vs PSG 2nd leg (home) - Barely plays for 30 mins and goes off injured. Shouldn't have played at all really but Mourinho shoehorned him into the side. Out for 3 weeks.

2013/14 vs Atletico Madrid 1st leg (away) - Did not play. Still injured.

2013/14 vs Atletico Madrid 2nd leg (home) - 1st game out for 3 weeks which is a big problem at that level. Still rusty, playing in the most defensive XI ^^^ I've ever seen at the Bridge.

2014/15 vs PSG 1st leg (away) - One of the most embarrassing defensive displays I've ever seen under Mourinho. Hazard played as a left back all game. Willian RB. Costa barely got a sniff. Pathetic tactics.

2014/15 vs PSG 2nd leg (Home) - By far the best player in blue on the day. The only player with any game changing quality at the time trying everything vs top class defenders who were particularly defensive because they were down to 10 men. Mourinho's inability to train high quality coordinated attacks also didn't help us in that game as well.

So were are the so-called big games in the CL Hazard has apparently not performed in for us? It's just a bunch of bullshit. You can argue his scoring record in the competition is not great, but 

(1) That was not my initial point of argumentation. I stated he was the best big game performer in CFC history (at least I've seen) alongside Drogba. with Didier being (1) and Eden being (2). I think that's fair comment to make.

(2) You started talking about his CL record which is neither here no there. It's just numbers with no real meaning without any context. 

You make a strong case to be fair. My main point was that I just want to see him dominate the CL like he does here in the PL/England, which we know he has the ability to. Your initial point doesn't dispute any of that, in fact, I must say I brought forward an argument that isn't too related to what you said. I was talking about his general performances on the biggest platform in club football - the CL. What ticked me off is that you essentially compared his influence to that of Didier. 

I disagree with him being the best in history with Didier though - first, we can't say that for sure to begin with as we haven't seen CFC for that long. Would love to know what some of the older members on here think about that. @OhForAGreavsie @Unionjack @Iggy Doonican @Duppy Conqueror? Also, I think Lampard and JT are ahead of him in that aspect, alongside Didier. They all won 10+ trophies here and were all a major part of those, performing in most big games/winning us those games. Hazard has only won 3 trophies here at CFC. It's incomparable because they've had many more bigger games to play in than Eden has.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

17 minutes ago, The Skipper said:

You make a strong case to be fair. My main point was that I just want to see him dominate the CL like he does here in the PL/England, which we know he has the ability to. Your initial point doesn't dispute any of that, in fact, I must say I brought forward an argument that isn't too related to what you said. I was talking about his general performances on the biggest platform in club football - the CL. What ticked me off is that you essentially compared his influence to that of Didier. 

I disagree with him being the best in history with Didier though - first, we can't say that for sure to begin with as we haven't seen CFC for that long. Would love to know what some of the older members on here think about that. @OhForAGreavsie @Unionjack @Iggy Doonican? Also, I think Lampard and JT are ahead of him in that aspect, alongside Didier. They all won 10+ trophies here and were all a major part of those, performing in most big games/winning us those games. Hazard has only won 3 trophies here at CFC. It's incomparable because they've had many more bigger games to play in than Eden has.

I disagree. I think he's plays at a higher level than Lampard (I actually think Essein generally played better) in the big games and honestly, I wasn't really considering defenders so JT wasn't in my thinking. That's not to say Eden is in the same conversation as Frank and JT and Didier as Chelsea icons. But just from a purely objective standpoint, as someone who has been following the club for 20 years, I don't believe anyone excluding Didier has performed better in the big games so consistently. And I'll exclude defenders and goalkeepers as it's hard to make a coherent comparison there. Just in the last year or so, he's scored 10 goals against the best teams in the country. And that's not even considering some of the performances. 

[Milan 17,853]

 

[the wes 7,212]

CESC FABREGAS keeps telling Eden Hazard to be more selfish, more ruthless in front of goal. Be more greedy – and you can be better than Lionel Messi.

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/795391/Cesc-Fabregas-Eden-Hazard-Chelsea-news-Lionel-Messi-FA-Cup-Tottenham

[Jase 43,479]

11 minutes ago, the wes said:

CESC FABREGAS keeps telling Eden Hazard to be more selfish, more ruthless in front of goal. Be more greedy – and you can be better than Lionel Messi.

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/795391/Cesc-Fabregas-Eden-Hazard-Chelsea-news-Lionel-Messi-FA-Cup-Tottenham

Big kudos to Fabregas. Has encouraged Hazard nonstop and been like a mentor. One only hopes the latter do it consistently in the long run.

[The Skipper 20,593]

1 hour ago, the wes said:

CESC FABREGAS keeps telling Eden Hazard to be more selfish, more ruthless in front of goal. Be more greedy – and you can be better than Lionel Messi.

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/795391/Cesc-Fabregas-Eden-Hazard-Chelsea-news-Lionel-Messi-FA-Cup-Tottenham

Cesc is a leader.

[Blue Armour 4,278]

Is there a chance he could get the FWA player of the award this year?

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Kante bagging the PFA award (really deserves it, and you don't often see players in his role get it)....but I'm hoping Eden gets some extra recognition this season. (I would also say the same for Diego as well, who was left out of the PFA team of the year..he's going through a bad patch now but his form back in fall 2016 was one of the main reasons why we were able to build up a strong lead at the top of the table)

 

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

I actually heard that Eden had a slight injury, that's why he didn't start in the FA Cup. 

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

On 4/22/2017 at 6:18 PM, MrExcalibur100 said:

(i) 2013/14 vs PSG 1st leg (away) - Hazard plays well despite barely seeing the ball (a classic problem he and all our forwards had under Mourinho). Scores a goal and hits the post with a volley. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/26811631 

(ii) 2013/14 vs PSG 2nd leg (home) - Barely plays for 30 mins and goes off injured. Shouldn't have played at all really but Mourinho shoehorned him into the side. Out for 3 weeks.

(iii) 2013/14 vs Atletico Madrid 1st leg (away) - Did not play. Still injured.

(iv) 2013/14 vs Atletico Madrid 2nd leg (home) - 1st game out for 3 weeks which is a big problem at that level. Still rusty, playing in the most defensive XI ^^^ I've ever seen at the Bridge.

(v) 2014/15 vs PSG 1st leg (away) - One of the most embarrassing defensive displays I've ever seen under Mourinho. Hazard played as a left back all game. Willian RB. Costa barely got a sniff. Pathetic tactics.

(vi) 2014/15 vs PSG 2nd leg (Home) - By far the best player in blue on the day. The only player with any game changing quality at the time trying everything vs top class defenders who were particularly defensive because they were down to 10 men. Mourinho's inability to train high quality coordinated attacks also didn't help us in that game as well.

So where are the so-called big games in the CL Hazard has apparently not performed in for us? It's just a bunch of bullshit. You can argue his scoring record in the competition is not great, but 

(1) That was not my initial point of argumentation. I stated he was the best big game performer in CFC history (at least I've seen) alongside Drogba. with Didier being (1) and Eden being (2). I think that's fair comment to make.

(2) You started talking about his CL record which is neither here no there. It's just numbers with no real meaning without any context. 

So imagine in a hypothetical scenario Hazard goes to Madrid next season, does anyone really believe he won't be one of the most dominant players in the tournament? It's just an inane stick to beat him with at this point. 

first of all every game in the champions league is a big game. (only exception is 6th game in the group stage if you've already clinched top spot)

The standards I hold him to, Hazard has to be a lot better on the biggest stage. He's been plagued with letting the game pass him by in the champions league, he needs to elevate his game and be the dominant player on the pitch regardless of who we are playing. Whether it was PSG or Atleti or Galatasaray or Schalke Hazard needs to be the brightest light on the pitch... he's fallen short on more than a few occasions 

[manpe 10,861]

2 hours ago, Chelsea Legend 11 said:

The standards I hold him to, Hazard has to be a lot better on the biggest stage. He's been plagued with letting the game pass him by in the champions league, he needs to elevate his game and be the dominant player on the pitch regardless of who we are playing. Whether it was PSG or Atleti or Galatasaray or Schalke Hazard needs to be the brightest light on the pitch... he's fallen short on more than a few occasions 

That's quite a simplistic view, "he needs to be the dominant player on the pitch regardless...". Did you see how we were playing in those big games under Mourinho? Even Messi can't do it alone when isolated without support and played as auxiliary full-back. Let's see how he fares in a proper team shape.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Interesting list, this time done in a sensible manner weighing success rate.

 Willian, Moses, Pedro and Hazard all make the list. According to this, Hazard and Traore are by far the best dribblers in Europe.

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

what a finish that was from him for the opener. making it lookso easy but booy he hit it perfectly and it was just inside the post. quality strike. he is so good, it doesn't even surpise you when he does things like that. however it also does not suprise you that he squard the ball into nowhere when he had a free shot.

[DYC. 7,542]

Eden Hazard in Chelsea blue is still a bit of a dream. Not your usual Chelsea signing. But it is real and he is indeed playing for my favourite club. Love him to bits.

Another great goal. He's just so good. Don't know how else to put it.

More Hazard-esque signings, please.

[Jase 43,479]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/eden-hazard-chelsea-transfer-news-real-madrid-summer-window-a7700491.html

Quote

"There is no sign of a new contract for the moment. I am focused on the last month, and we will talk later," he told

Sky Sports.

"It's not in my mind now. I have two or three years left. I just want to finish the season well and we will see afterwards."

SORT IT OUT, CHELSEA!!

[The Skipper 20,593]

6 minutes ago, Jason said:

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/eden-hazard-chelsea-transfer-news-real-madrid-summer-window-a7700491.html

SORT IT OUT, CHELSEA!!

Rightly so they shouldn't be pressing Hazard with contract talks atm. That can happen in the summer. 

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, The Skipper said:

Rightly so they shouldn't be pressing Hazard with contract talks atm. That can happen in the summer. 

They better not have any funny ideas.