Eden Hazard

[meetdoscar 335]

Played better in the second half as did most of our team but he needs to start scoring/creating goals because willian looks a serious threat.

[Phil Driver 503]

I feel Hazard is the main loser in this team that is not functioning at the moment ,he still shows flashes of absoloute genius to me and when the team is firing he will be world class.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

Thankfully Mourinho finally touched upon Hazard's woeful movement.

He always receives the ball with his back to goal or when surrounded by 2/3 defenders. Of course part of the problem is the poor support from Cole and the snails pace at which we play but he simply doesn't do himself any favours either.

[John1611 77]

No, Eden doesn't dive or simulate.

He's very clever with it. The only way you can get the ball off Eden is if you physically contact him - which usually (90% of the time) results in a free kick as he protects the ball with his body superbly most of the time.

If Eden has the opportunity to go on he will - if he doesn't he'll usually get fouled. There's a reason why he was Europe's most fouled player last season and the season before if I remember correctly. That in itself should tell you he doesn't dive.

The stats say otherwise. He wasn't the most fouled player in the league let alone Europe.

http://squawka.com/news/2013/05/07/top-five-most-fouled-players-in-the-premier-league/201305078685/shaun-maloney-average-pass-length#main

[John1611 77]

I think many people forget to factor in the fact that there is a certain way we play in this new team structure which Jose is trying to implement. We are less direct than we were under Benitez. Hazard was told by Jose to play a certain way within his new system. I'm reminded of the time when Lamps was moved from the advanced to the holding role many supporters started complaining about him scoring less goals, being invisible in the final third etc, when he was just simply following the instructions he was given. This is not an accurate analogy so please do not take it as such. It just illustrates the point that like the rest of the team, Hazard is still adapting to the new philosophy, to our new style of play. It'll take time for him to adapt, and Jose knows that. If Mourinho imposed the Benitez ideology and Hazard played like he did in the past few matches Jose'd bench him instantly. But because Jose understands that Hazard needs to learn just like the rest of the team to adjust to the unfamiliar aesthetics of team play he is willing to sacrifice a few poorer quality performances for the sake of the end result.

This is of course not to say Hazard still should be doing a bit better, which I totally agree with. Give him time however and it'll pay off.

[polo 18]

his only brilliant match: against Bayern

[Korea 734]

tried to watch it many times (all Lyon matches)... couldn't hold my interest for longer than 30 minutes... I have an obsession and inexplicable love for Lyon, but not even both things made me watch Ligue 1. I still think it's a light league - but if you think it's physical then it's even worse for Eden. What excuse does he have for falling (sometimes diving) all the time? It seems like he can't take the physical contact - not in a way that it's too much for him, because it's not, he's a chubby little thing, but in a way that he seems not used to it.

Hazard rarely dives.

Oscar on the other hand is a different story.

[nofacej 132]

his only brilliant match: against Bayern

Also the only match where a team was actually attacking us instead of defending deep and compactly.

Even in the United match they never really committed to any attack.

[polo 18]

Also the only match where a team was actually attacking us instead of defending deep and compactly.

Even in the United match they never really committed to any attack.

yeah he's a player for counter attack

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Also the only match where a team was actually attacking us instead of defending deep and compactly.

Even in the United match they never really committed to any attack.

Wait, we weren't defending deep vs Bayern?! I must have been watching a different European Super cup!

EDIT: Never mind, misread you post. Apologies

[Sidzeret 2,257]

I'm not taking a jab at him but all he does is draw lines in the midfield and doesn't actually produce something.

A few matches on the bench will do him some good.

[yuvala 2,167]

Wait, we weren't defending deep vs Bayern?! I must have been watching a different European Super cup!

I think he meant Bayern weren't defending deep.

[Jack Uzzi 54]

Can't see why De Bruyne doesn't come on for him earlier. Doesn't look sharp at the moment. Maybe it has something to do with Mata not playing in a central role anymore but it doesn't really matter. I would have expected Hazard to get the treatment Mata currently gets from Mourinho.

[Chelsea? 892]

he's been shit this year

[Weckerz 3,781]

he's been shit this year

he's been shit this month

=)

[Stingray 9,441]

he's been shit this month

=)

Month, year, decade, century ....

Having one of 8 cm and saying it is 25. All is so relative

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

His main asset to the team is his dribbling. He can't help if he's being double, triple pressed. He needs someone who plays closer to him to link up with him so they can commit some defenders to them and in turn do 1-2s to release him 1 on 1. Oscar is a beast but often times he drops too deep. Instead have the striker drop to the left and link up with him. Someone needs to be close to him in all instances, either to link up with him or at least receive a pass and then switch play to the other side where we'll have a man free most likely.

[polo 18]

His main asset to the team is his dribbling. He can't help if he's being double, triple pressed. He needs someone who plays closer to him to link up with him so they can commit some defenders to them and in turn do 1-2s to release him 1 on 1. Oscar is a beast but often times he drops too deep. Instead have the striker drop to the left and link up with him. Someone needs to be close to him in all instances, either to link up with him or at least receive a pass and then switch play to the other side where we'll have a man free most likely.

yeah some people here believe he can dribble the whole team alone. Even Messi can't do that lol