Eden Hazard

[Mufassir08 2,400]

Eden can be so brilliant at times that we tend to forget that he's still a work in progress.

Imagine him the finished article Gonna be some player injuries permitting.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJQ9AWwnA2Q&list=UU-KQIG4-dyR1kIHCQFOJ-hQ

Pretty awesome compilation for an awesome player.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

For me he is one of the top 10 best players in the world.

(1) Messi

(2) Suarez

(3) Ronaldo

(4) Ibrahimovic

(5) Iniesta

(6) Hazard

(7) Aguero

(8) Vidal

(9) Thiago Silva

(10) Lahm

My list is a little top heavy with attacking players, but these guys always get all the limelight anyway.

[Coop 114]

Lahm for Yaya and I agree with you ;-)

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

I believe his ceiling is much higher than all those three. But with the exception of Neymar, all those players are more consistent than him at the moment (and the moment here is the season as a whole, not the last two, three months). What's better? To have a player that gives you the same 7 rated at all matches, with some 8, 8.5 in the mix, or one that sometimes plays 9, others even 10-rated matches and then doesn't contribute at all in others?

Talking about a player I do know - Neymar fits Barça just fine. Messi or no Messi, he's just as inconsistent as Eden - if not even more - so it's difficult for him too.

I also agree Hazard is more talented than Bale (I don't even like Bale as a footballer to start with, but he's a few steps ahead of Eden when it comes to consistency imo for many reasons, one of them, being raised in a much more competitive league than Eden was), I agree with most things you said when I think about potential, talent, ceiling, future. Present time, Eden still has ups and downs and let's not forget he takes literally months to go full throttle. The current Eden, or the Eden from December to February could play in those teams, but let's not forget he takes from August to December to reach that level. It's not so simple, but I think it's acceptable given his age.

Methinks you overrate Bale too much. When was the last time he ever did anything worthwhile against any good team? Plus he is pretty inconsistent himself as he disappears completely from games when he coasts too much. Plus Bale is 24 and was only considered a world-class player in his last year at Spurs, while Hazard has been world-class since he was 21.

And saying Neymar is just as inconsistent (Hazard is not even an inconsistent player, ffs) as Hazard is ridiculous. Neymar first and foremost is a pretty overrated player. I have watched many games of his, and I fail too see anything special about him. He is not in the same class as Hazard whose talent level is in the same realm as the Zidane's and Iniesta's of this world. Neymar is an improved version of Robinho plus he is the biggest diver I have ever seen play football and I'm not exaggerating. Even Brazilians think he's overrated. You just have to read comments on sites like Globoesporte to see what I mean.

Hazard has 17 goals this season (and will score more before it's over). He has created more chances for his teammates than any other player in EUROPE! And he is not even an archetypal playmaker. Playmaking is not his number 1 asset. I find that incredible really. That's a Messi-like statistic. You talk of time-frames but how many players perform consistently well for an ENTIRE season? Did Bale perform well in every month when he won POTY last season? The guy had one fantastic half-season and won the award. The only attacking players that I know of that have changed the landscape of football understanding and have performed at an incredible level for an entire season are Messi and Cristiano. Zidane was "inconsistent" (going by your very rigid understanding of the word). So was Figo, Stoichkov, Rivaldo, Laudrup, Nedved and so on. Hazard might have been inconsistent in his first season in English football, but that's because it was his first season in the hardest league in the world, playing for a team in disarray.

Nani is an inconsistent player not Hazard. Guarin is an inconsistent player not Hazard. You can't be one of the best in the business and be inconsistent. Plus this is a player that just turned 23 in January. No other young player in the world can match his consistency level. Not Gotze, not Isco, not Neymar, Moura, Verratti or Alcantara. The only young player that can match it is Pogba, but you see, Pogba's style of play and position (CM) makes it "easier" for him to be consistently brilliant. Hazard's style of play is very risky, but he still has the consistency, level-headedness and intelligence to maintain his level.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Lahm for Yaya and I agree with you ;-)

Yaya is a good shout, but the guy sometimes doesn't show up against the "lesser" teams. It's a big complaint that Man City fans have against him. Lahm on the other hand plays on the same level every time I watch him and he's been the best full-back in the world since God knows when.

Another thing about Toure. He's dominated us in the past when our midfield was "Maticless" and when we had no managers (sorry AVB and RDM) but he against strong teams, really strong teams with strong midfields, he rarely stands out. He was rubbish against Bayern in the CL, a non-factor in both legs against Barca, Matic matched him in that classic league match and I don't remember him being a factor against Liverpool too. He is a bit of a flat-track bully..

There's no doubt he's one of the best midfielders in the world, but I'll have Vidal ahead of him, any time.

[Atholy 1,293]

SIGH

I really don't want to participate in a discussion with utter fools... but after reading this I cannot keep this unanswered:

We ALL, as football fans in general... should be f*cking grateful that people like Hazard are giving us the joy to watch their amazing skills, cleverness, technique & understanding of the game we all love so much. Not only should we be thankful football players like him exist.... THIS GUY EVEN PLAYS IN OUR OWN TEAM!!!!!!!!!

Criticizing him and stating 'I don't understand the fuss'... 'this isn't hazard fc' ... 'he's arrogant and doesn't have to think his as good as messi & ronaldo'...

=> I can only feel pity for the people who write this. If you spend your time posting these things over a player who gives us the benefit to enjoy the beauty of the game at our own Stamford Bridge.... I'm afraid this means you know utter shit about football OR you just love to spend your day criticizing all & nothing, really pathetic way to go through life!!!

ps: probably you guys are the same people that think:

• Barcelona is a crap side with only divers like Messi
• Ronaldo is an arrogant and selfish tanned Portuguese gay model
• Ibrahimovic only plays for the cash and is really overrated
• Ronaldinho looks like a horse
• Ronaldo is soo fat these days... I bet he never was any good
• Thierry Henry is a bad player because he didn't succeed in Barcelona
• Bergkamp... wasn't he the guy who was to afraid to fly that he drove for hours through Europe to play CL
• etc...

[Barbara 15,149]

Methinks you overrate Bale too much. When was the last time he ever did anything worthwhile against any good team? Plus he is pretty inconsistent himself as he disappears completely from games when he coasts too much. Plus Bale is 24 and was only considered a world-class player in his last year at Spurs, while Hazard has been world-class since he was 21.

And saying Neymar is just as inconsistent (Hazard is not even an inconsistent player, ffs) as Hazard is ridiculous. Neymar first and foremost is a pretty overrated player. I have watched many games of his, and I fail too see anything special about him. He is not in the same class as Hazard whose talent level is in the same realm as the Zidane's and Iniesta's of this world. Neymar is an improved version of Robinho plus he is the biggest diver I have ever seen play football and I'm not exaggerating. Even Brazilians think he's overrated. You just have to read comments on sites like Globoesporte to see what I mean.

Hazard has 17 goals this season (and will score more before it's over). He has created more chances for his teammates than any other player in EUROPE! And he is not even an archetypal playmaker. Playmaking is not his number 1 asset. I find that incredible really. That's a Messi-like statistic. You talk of time-frames but how many players perform consistently well for an ENTIRE season? Did Bale perform well in every month when he won POTY last season? The guy had one fantastic half-season and won the award. The only attacking players that I know of that have changed the landscape of football understanding and have performed at an incredible level for an entire season are Messi and Cristiano. Zidane was "inconsistent" (going by your very rigid understanding of the word). So was Figo, Stoichkov, Rivaldo, Laudrup, Nedved and so on. Hazard might have been inconsistent in his first season in English football, but that's because it was his first season in the hardest league in the world, playing for a team in disarray.

Nani is an inconsistent player not Hazard. Guarin is an inconsistent player not Hazard. You can't be one of the best in the business and be inconsistent. Plus this is a player that just turned 23 in January. No other young player in the world can match his consistency level. Not Gotze, not Isco, not Neymar, Moura, Verratti or Alcantara. The only young player that can match it is Pogba, but you see, Pogba's style of play and position (CM) makes it "easier" for him to be consistently brilliant. Hazard's style of play is very risky, but he still has the consistency, level-headedness and intelligence to maintain his level.

I don't like Bale as a footballer, fact is he carried Spurs last season and he's adapting admittedly fast in La Liga and Real Madrid. He provides what Carlo needs from him quite often, he scored and assisted match winners for RM quite frequently lately (or scored important goals in matches that were won by more than two goals). Do I like him? No. Do I think RM needed him? Not, at all. Can I deny he delivers whatever is requested to him? No, because he does. He's playing very well the last few months, even when he doesn't score or assist. I don't think he's much more consistent than Eden, just a tad more and we still have to remember he's adapting to a new league.

Hazard is young, he doesn't perform high level in every match. He literally takes months to reach his best level and carries on it for another few months. During his peak months he still has matches where he doesn't do much, average matches as others said. If you admit that or not, it's up to you, I won't repeat the same thing over and over again.

As for the chances created stats, for the thousandth time, I don't like it. It's not that accurate imo and if you read my signature, you'll learn my opinion about only looking to stats. But you're free - obviously - to think whatever you want. Zidane didn't have outstanding stats, nor does Pirlo and they're two of the biggest players this century. Messi and Ronaldo are stellar and have astonishing stats, but many amazing players didn't have that much impressive stats and were unbelievable, while many poachers have amazing stats, but are very limited footballers. I'm not labeling Bale, Neymar, Hazard, etc in any of those categories, I'm just illustrating how your point is moot in some cases imo.

Zidane was inconsistent in YOUR understanding of the word, not mine, as his stats weren't the best in Europe like Hazard's chances created for example. If I take everything you said literally (which I'm not stupid to do because you didn't mean them literally), then Hazard is already better than Zidane and Pirlo - among others - simply because of a flawed stat that I really wish didn't even exist to start with. Or maybe because he's a fancy dribbler. Or an exciting player who isn't anywhere near his full potential nor is capable of producing the same level of football throughout the whole season. As I said, he was barely worth a mention from August to early december, then he was amazing from mid-december to February and ever since he's been alternating good matches and average matches (sometimes average matches in a row).

I don't need to read anything, anywhere about Neymar because I've watched him play for years here. I like him as a footballer, but I like Eden much better - not that it matters to the discussion (as much as me disliking Bale doesn't matter). I agree about the diving, but if he's gone to any other club in the world he'd be taught to let it go (in Barcelona they'll teach him how to do it even more theatrically). I wasn't even comparing the players themselves, just their consistency, and said Neymar is more inconsistent now.

Where was Hazard when we needed him against Palace? Against Villa? Even against Gala in one of the legs? He's had average matches lately, but he always provides the exciting dribble so people like you automatically think he had a great match just because of it or a pass to someone 30 yards from the goal, who decided to shoot on goal and who added to his chance created stats.

I wasn't even talking about his quality and I said I'm quite okay with him having ups and downs, not winning us matches as he can, because I think he's too young and he'll learn. I'm not even implying he should always bail us from jail. But if he's our best attacking player by a very fair lead, it's also fair to expect more from him than from others. What do you expect to ride better, a Ferrari or a Fiat? So of course I expect more from him than from Willian, Oscar, Schurrle, Etoo, Salah, Torres, Ba (the last two I don't expect anything at all to be honest). I'm not saying though he HAS to deliver, just that he's the one who has more quality to win difficult matches for us and the only reason he doesn't do it more frequently is because he's not consistent enough yet, because he's young, and that's okay.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Even if we get 150m, we should never ever sell him, at least not for several years. Best clubs in the world dont sell their best players. Simple as that.

[yuvala 2,167]

For me he is one of the top 10 best players in the world.

(1) Messi

(2) Suarez

(3) Ronaldo

(4) Ibrahimovic

(5) Iniesta

(6) Hazard

(7) Aguero

(8) Vidal

(9) Thiago Silva

(10) Lahm

My list is a little top heavy with attacking players, but these guys always get all the limelight anyway.

On his day, that's true .

But he isn't consistent enough to put him in the worlds best 10, IMO. Not yet anyways..

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Where was Hazard when we needed him against Palace? Against Villa? Even against Gala in one of the legs? He's had average matches lately, but he always provides the exciting dribble so people like you automatically think he had a great match just because of it or a pass to someone 30 yards from the goal, who decided to shoot on goal and who added to his chance created stats.

Therein lies the problem I guess. Nitpicking games to prove your point.

(1) You are quick to forget Hazard turning Rafinha then sprinting into Bayern's half before slotting in Schurrle who crossed to Torres, GOAL.

(2) What about his solo effort in that same game? What about Hull City? Did he not provide for us when we needed him? Remember how rubbish we were in that game.

(3) Against Sunderland, which was one of the best solo performances of any CFC player I have ever seen, on par with Jimmy Floyd against Spurs.. did Hazard not step up in that match?

(4) Against Liverpool, who provided the inspiration for the comeback again, with that ridiculous curler past Mignolet? These are BIG matches.

(5) Against Man City Matic and our back four were immense, while Eden terrorized them. Their fans were gushing about him on their forums after that game.

(6) Swansea in the league? Won us that game on his own. We were SHIT. Aren't these "difficult" matches in which Chelsea were not playing well?

(7) It was Hazard who provided the spark against Fulham in the second half too, alongside Schurrle, who was ruthless with his finishing. We were SHIT in that game.

I can go on, but I'll stop at 7. .Was Bale's last season any more or less impressive than what Eden has done this season? And Bale was pretty "inconsistent" that season too. He was average for the entire first half of it. Ok, he scored more goals in the league that season (and will) than Eden will in this one, but Eden has already scored a lot and assisted (including chances created) much more than Bale did. And Hazard is not even THAT type of shoot-on-sight winger that Ronaldo, Robben or Bale are. He is more like a Ribery type, but HAS taken games by the scruff of the neck and won us many points on his own this season. Too ask for any more is unreasonable and unfair. The fact is that others need to step up. The Brazilians especially who have been poor this season.

"I wasn't even talking about his quality and I said I'm quite okay with him having ups and downs"

You said it yourself, Barbara. We aren't even disagreeing with each other.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

On his day, that's true .

But he isn't consistent enough to put him in the worlds best 10, IMO. Not yet anyways..

You can't prove Hazard is inconsistent. It's a ridiculous tag that has been placed on him from his first season at the club, which was unfair in the first place, since it was his first season. I just can't understand how anyone who has watched this guy play this season can call him inconsistent when he's been anything but that. Maybe you don't understand that players sometimes have not so good games and you confuse that with inconsistency.

That's one of the main differences between this season and last. The others are intensity in his play and defensive contribution. Those two are all about Mourinho. Hazard wants to destroy teams for 90 mins now. He hardly ever "coasts" in games any more. And nowadays, when he get's tired, like against Spurs recently, he has developed his game to simply drop deep and pull the string from there.

If not for Suarez, POTY would have been fairly straightforward, but Suarez has been a top 3 player in the world and deserves it. I doubt he'll be as good next season when his team play in Europe though.

[Eligius 121]

For me he is one of the top 10 best players in the world.

(1) Messi

(2) Suarez

(3) Ronaldo

(4) Ibrahimovic

(5) Iniesta

(6) Hazard

(7) Aguero

(8) Vidal

(9) Thiago Silva

(10) Lahm

My list is a little top heavy with attacking players, but these guys always get all the limelight anyway.

You forget a ton of Munich/Madrid/Barcelona along with a few mates from Manchester/Atletico/Dortmund and with a hint of Monaco.

[Barbara 15,149]

Therein lies the problem I guess. Nitpicking games to prove your point.

(1) You are quick to forget Hazard turning Rafinha then sprinting into Bayern's half before slotting it Schurrle who crossed to Torres, GOAL.

(2) What about his solo effort in that same game? What about Hull City? Did he not provide for us when we needed him? Remember how rubbish we were in that game.

(3) Against Sunderland, which was one of the best solo performances of any CFC player I have ever seen, on par with Jimmy Floyd against Spurs.. did Hazard not step up in that match?

(4) Against Liverpool, who provided the inspiration for the comeback again, with that ridiculous curler past Mignolet? These are BIG matches.

(5) Against Man City Matic and our back four were immense, while Eden terrorized them. Their fans were gushing about him on their forums after that game.

(6) Swansea in the league? Won us that game on his own. We were SHIT. Aren't these "difficult" matches in which Chelsea were not playing well

(7) It was Hazard who provided the spark against Fulham in the second half too, alongside Schurrle, who was ruthless with his finishing. We were SHIT in that game.

I can go on, but I'll stop at 7. .Was Bale's last season any more or less impressive than what Eden has done this season? And Bale was pretty "inconsistent" that season too. He was average for the entire first half of it. Ok, he scored more goals in the league that season (and will) than Eden will in this one, but Eden has already scored a lot and assisted (including chances created) much more than Bale did. And Hazard is not even THAT type of shoot-on-sight winger that Ronaldo, Robben or Bale are. He is more like a Ribery type, but HAS taken games by the scruff of the neck and won us many points on his own this season. Too ask for any more is unreasonable and unfair. The fact is that others need to step up. The Brazilians especially who have been poor this season.

"I wasn't even talking about his quality and I said I'm quite okay with him having ups and downs"

You said it yourself, Barbara. We aren't even disagreeing with each other.

okay, so let's change the word. Instead of saying he's inconsistent, I'll say he isn't as consistent as I'd like him to be, although I know his inconsistency is only about his age. Or that he could step up more often or something. I feel we depend on him too much, but he isn't there yet to deliver it like in 80% of the matches he plays for us, regardless of the stats.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

For me he is one of the top 10 best players in the world.

(1) Messi

(2) Suarez

(3) Ronaldo

(4) Ibrahimovic

(5) Iniesta

(6) Hazard

(7) Aguero

(8) Vidal

(9) Thiago Silva

(10) Lahm

My list is a little top heavy with attacking players, but these guys always get all the limelight anyway.

What about Ribery? He was even better last yeari in counter attack formation, but he is still world class IMO.

[iseah100 5,612]

What about Ribery? He was even better last yeari in counter attack formation, but he is still world class IMO.

Aguero? Bale? Reus? Falcao? There's so many haha.

Hazard NEEDS to shoot on sight! He tried vs PSG, ball got deflected, but at least he tried!

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Aguero? Bale? Reus? Falcao? There's so many haha.

Hazard NEEDS to shoot on sight! He tried vs PSG, ball got deflected, but at least he tried!

Aguero spectacular but injured, Bale questionable inclusion but understandable, Reus decent but not as good as last year, Falcao injured and not as good as last year. But all these guys you mention are world class. That list was more on "current" form if anything.

[yuvala 2,167]

You can't prove Hazard is inconsistent. It's a ridiculous tag that has been placed on him from his first season at the club, which was unfair in the first place, since it was his first season. I just can't understand how anyone who has watched this guy play this season can call him inconsistent when he's been anything but that. Maybe you don't understand that players sometimes have not so good games and you confuse that with inconsistency.

That's one of the main differences between this season and last. The others are intensity in his play and defensive contribution. Those two are all about Mourinho. Hazard wants to destroy teams for 90 mins now. He hardly ever "coasts" in games any more. And nowadays, when he get's tired, like against Spurs recently, he has developed his game to simply drop deep and pull the string from there.

If not for Suarez, POTY would have been fairly straightforward, but Suarez has been a top 3 player in the world and deserves it. I doubt he'll be as good next season when his team play in Europe though.

Well he certainly became more consistent this season.

But, still not enough, IMO.

He does drift out of games sometimes.. not as much as last season but he still does.