The English Football Thread

[Blue Armour 4,164]

33 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Goals, tricks and winning free kicks: Grealish is like Eden Hazard at his peak

https://theathletic.com/2246515/2020/12/08/jack-grealish-villa-eden-hazard/

In his final Premier League season, Eden Hazard was widely recognised as the player most likely to catch up with superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the pair entered the twilight of their remarkable careers.

The former Chelsea star hoped he could emulate Ronaldo and Messi by one day winning the Ballon d’Or.

“Messi, Ronaldo, they are on another planet, but yeah, why not? I try to be one of the best, so if I can be, why not?” he said in a 2015 newspaper interview.

In the same year, Hazard received the PFA Player of the Year award as he starred in the side that won the Premier League. For many opponents, the only way to stop the tricky Belgian was to chop him down.

Which brings us to Aston Villa’s captain Jack Grealish.

It was in the detailed analysis on Monday Night Football that Jamie Carragher drew the initial comparison between the pair, highlighting Grealish’s quick and inventive runs down the left side of attack and likening them to Hazard when he was on fire at Stamford Bridge.

Former Chelsea player Ashley Cole also compared their styles, saying: “He’s got that Hazard quality, he can beat players left and right.”

For close to two years, Grealish has been playing on the left side of attack, a blend of No 11 and No 10 — part mazy winger, part playmaker, part second striker. He is very much to Villa what Hazard was to Chelsea, and not just in terms of positioning, either.

As the Belgian was at Chelsea, Grealish is the star man in his team. He is Villa’s main source of goals and a great entertainer.

It’s too soon to suggest that he’s as efficient and productive as Hazard, who also had the on-pitch numbers (110 goals and 92 assists in all competitions) and trophies (two league titles, two Europa Leagues, an FA Cup and a League Cup) to back up his incredible talent.

But this season alone, Grealish is performing as well as the diminutive attacker once was.

Five goals and five assists after nine games means he’s on course to challenge Hazard’s 16 goals and 15 assists from 37 Premier League games in 2018-19 (his final, and most prolific, season in London).

Grealish is the most fouled player in the Premier League by some distance over the last two seasons (Photo: Tim Keeton – Pool/Getty Images)

Grealish is averaging the same amount of shots on goal (2.9) per 90 minutes in the Premier League as Hazard (2.9) managed in that season.

He averages around 20 fewer touches (63.3 compared to 82.4) per 90 minutes this season than Hazard did in 2018-19, yet makes more touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes (8.8 for Grealish, 7.4 for Hazard).

Hazard’s efficiency in his final season was what put him into that category to rival both Messi and Ronaldo.

His 16 Premier League goals had an expected goals (xG) value of 10.53, boosted by his spectacularly accurate finishing up to an expected goals on target (xGOT) rating of 15.24. The xG statistic measures the quality of Hazard’s shooting opportunities — i.e. how many goals he would be expected to score in a season. The xGOT rating measures the quality of Hazard’s shots from those opportunities. The fact that his xGOT is nearly 50 per cent higher than his xG shows that he was finishing chances excellently.

He converted 27 per cent of his shots and a remarkable 55.6 per cent of his 18 “big chances”, as defined by Opta.

This season Grealish has converted 19 per cent of his shots and two (40 per cent) of his five big chances. His five Premier League goals have an expected goals (xG) value of 2.58, boosted further to an xGOT rating of 3.03. He’s also created seven big chances after just nine games compared to Hazard’s 18 in his final season.

That’s the data box ticked, but the true likeness comes from the way Grealish bullies teams. That relentless energy on the ball is exactly what made Hazard such a success when he played in England. On top of that, Grealish has reached pretty much every other challenge set by him at Villa over the years, and his game continues to improve.

In the latter years of his Chelsea career, giving Hazard the ball essentially became Chelsea’s entire attacking system, and that’s how Villa operate with their star man now.

Away from his attacking talents, a theme in Hazard’s career in England was that every manager wanted a little more from him defensively.

“In my career, I’ve frustrated all my managers and I’ll also frustrate the next manager I have,” Hazard said in 2019.

With a team packed full of quality, every manager also managed to find a way to allow him to roam freely by rejigging the set-up that also allowed Chelsea to flourish.

In 2014-15 Jose Mourinho stuck the reliable and consistent Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back, with Nemanja Matic on the left side of central midfield in a 4-2-3-1 system that gave Hazard space to create. Diego Costa also occupied the centre-halves with strength and brute force as Chelsea won the league.

Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 set-up then allowed Hazard even more freedom to attack. Not only did Marcos Alonso as the left-sided wing-back offer protection, but Chelsea also had a left-sided centre-back mopping up, with Matic and N’Golo Kante acting as the ball-winners. Chelsea again won the league in 2016-17, finishing with 93 points.

Even in his final season, Hazard helped Chelsea win the Europa League under Maurizio Sarri. He made no secret of how much he enjoyed playing with Olivier Giroud, a powerful striker whom he felt complemented his game brilliantly.

Grealish, it should be said, does get down and dirty when he needs to. He tracks back and occasionally makes important blocks and interceptions as Villa, unlike Chelsea, have to grind it out more often.

But can they consistently find solutions in other areas of the pitch to get the very best out of their top performer?

Grealish typically wins Villa a few more points with his performances, but Hazard used to win Chelsea trophies and league titles with his. Therefore, when Grealish plays so well for a side that hasn’t won a trophy for 24 years and has averaged just 36 points per season in their last eight Premier League campaigns, the debate will always be whether playing for another club will help him scale even greater heights.

For now, though, it’s interesting to see whether Grealish can maintain his current level and cement himself as one of the Premier League’s most feared attackers.

There’s also no intention to sell, for two main reasons: 1) he’s just signed a new five-year contract, and 2) his value has rocketed to over the £100 million mark, posing the question: which club can even afford to buy him right now anyway?

The Hazard comparison rings true because there are so many other similarities. Take the fouls for starters.

Villa’s medical staff are amazed at how strong Grealish’s ankles are. The physios have lost count of the number of times they have winced in the dugout as another challenge has left Grealish in a heap. Their take is that if it was any other player, a lengthy spell on the sidelines would follow.

It was, however, the same at Chelsea when Hazard used to peel off his strapping to reveal the cuts and bruises, scuff marks and scars after games. He won 638 fouls over his seven years, an average of one foul every half an hour of game time or 26 touches of the ball.

Grealish, incredibly, has a one-in-14 ratio of fouls to touches this season. He’s the most fouled player in the Premier League by some distance over the last two seasons. Some suggest that he goes down too easily, but boss Dean Smith disagrees: “If they’re not fouls, then the referee doesn’t give them.

“You tell me the top forwards who don’t go down easy. They get their bodies in really good positions so the defenders have to go through them.”

In some ways, then, it’s an art that Grealish has mastered. Hazard had a knack of winning penalties in a way that Grealish wins fouls all over the pitch.

Those who know each individual well say the constant kicking during games irritates them, but not enough to stop either player from loving the game. They are both free-spirited mavericks and in some ways have never left their innocent childhood years behind.

In his youth, Hazard would ping shots barefooted into the top corner after sneaking on to the pitch behind the family home in Braine-le-Comte, whereas Grealish would visit his Birmingham City-supporting friend’s house “because he had a bigger garden” and play one-on-one “Villa vs Blues” games.

It was ex-boss Steve Bruce who said that when he watched Grealish train, he could still see the excited schoolboy in the playground. Bruce, now head coach at Newcastle United, also described Grealish as Villa’s “crown jewel”.

A worrying thought for opponents is that many of Grealish’s team-mates believe he will get even better when supporters are allowed back inside stadiums across the country. He’s taken his game to a new level this season. The way he glides past opponents and is able to slow down and then speed up play in the same way that made Hazard such a success is receiving global attention.

Grealish is no stranger to living up to high expectations, though. When he ripped the Championship apart, he was always asked to show his qualities in the Premier League. When he performed well for England, he was then challenged to do it against the bigger nations.

Now, he’s spoken about in the same breath as a Premier League great like Hazard. It’s a stretch to think that Messi and Ronaldo will one day come into the conversation, but like Hazard said when he was asked about the two greats: “Why not?”

Interesting stats...Grealish reminds me of Hazard at times because of his ability to draw fouls.

Kind of like Hazard but with less end product and flair, albeit being Villa's best chance creator last season.

I'll admit that this season he has really gone up a notch and those numbers are not for this season are not a surprise.

[communicate 2,703]

55 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Goals, tricks and winning free kicks: Grealish is like Eden Hazard at his peak

https://theathletic.com/2246515/2020/12/08/jack-grealish-villa-eden-hazard/

In his final Premier League season, Eden Hazard was widely recognised as the player most likely to catch up with superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the pair entered the twilight of their remarkable careers.

The former Chelsea star hoped he could emulate Ronaldo and Messi by one day winning the Ballon d’Or.

“Messi, Ronaldo, they are on another planet, but yeah, why not? I try to be one of the best, so if I can be, why not?” he said in a 2015 newspaper interview.

In the same year, Hazard received the PFA Player of the Year award as he starred in the side that won the Premier League. For many opponents, the only way to stop the tricky Belgian was to chop him down.

Which brings us to Aston Villa’s captain Jack Grealish.

It was in the detailed analysis on Monday Night Football that Jamie Carragher drew the initial comparison between the pair, highlighting Grealish’s quick and inventive runs down the left side of attack and likening them to Hazard when he was on fire at Stamford Bridge.

Former Chelsea player Ashley Cole also compared their styles, saying: “He’s got that Hazard quality, he can beat players left and right.”

For close to two years, Grealish has been playing on the left side of attack, a blend of No 11 and No 10 — part mazy winger, part playmaker, part second striker. He is very much to Villa what Hazard was to Chelsea, and not just in terms of positioning, either.

As the Belgian was at Chelsea, Grealish is the star man in his team. He is Villa’s main source of goals and a great entertainer.

It’s too soon to suggest that he’s as efficient and productive as Hazard, who also had the on-pitch numbers (110 goals and 92 assists in all competitions) and trophies (two league titles, two Europa Leagues, an FA Cup and a League Cup) to back up his incredible talent.

But this season alone, Grealish is performing as well as the diminutive attacker once was.

Five goals and five assists after nine games means he’s on course to challenge Hazard’s 16 goals and 15 assists from 37 Premier League games in 2018-19 (his final, and most prolific, season in London).

Grealish is the most fouled player in the Premier League by some distance over the last two seasons (Photo: Tim Keeton – Pool/Getty Images)

Grealish is averaging the same amount of shots on goal (2.9) per 90 minutes in the Premier League as Hazard (2.9) managed in that season.

He averages around 20 fewer touches (63.3 compared to 82.4) per 90 minutes this season than Hazard did in 2018-19, yet makes more touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes (8.8 for Grealish, 7.4 for Hazard).

Hazard’s efficiency in his final season was what put him into that category to rival both Messi and Ronaldo.

His 16 Premier League goals had an expected goals (xG) value of 10.53, boosted by his spectacularly accurate finishing up to an expected goals on target (xGOT) rating of 15.24. The xG statistic measures the quality of Hazard’s shooting opportunities — i.e. how many goals he would be expected to score in a season. The xGOT rating measures the quality of Hazard’s shots from those opportunities. The fact that his xGOT is nearly 50 per cent higher than his xG shows that he was finishing chances excellently.

He converted 27 per cent of his shots and a remarkable 55.6 per cent of his 18 “big chances”, as defined by Opta.

This season Grealish has converted 19 per cent of his shots and two (40 per cent) of his five big chances. His five Premier League goals have an expected goals (xG) value of 2.58, boosted further to an xGOT rating of 3.03. He’s also created seven big chances after just nine games compared to Hazard’s 18 in his final season.

That’s the data box ticked, but the true likeness comes from the way Grealish bullies teams. That relentless energy on the ball is exactly what made Hazard such a success when he played in England. On top of that, Grealish has reached pretty much every other challenge set by him at Villa over the years, and his game continues to improve.

In the latter years of his Chelsea career, giving Hazard the ball essentially became Chelsea’s entire attacking system, and that’s how Villa operate with their star man now.

Away from his attacking talents, a theme in Hazard’s career in England was that every manager wanted a little more from him defensively.

“In my career, I’ve frustrated all my managers and I’ll also frustrate the next manager I have,” Hazard said in 2019.

With a team packed full of quality, every manager also managed to find a way to allow him to roam freely by rejigging the set-up that also allowed Chelsea to flourish.

In 2014-15 Jose Mourinho stuck the reliable and consistent Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back, with Nemanja Matic on the left side of central midfield in a 4-2-3-1 system that gave Hazard space to create. Diego Costa also occupied the centre-halves with strength and brute force as Chelsea won the league.

Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 set-up then allowed Hazard even more freedom to attack. Not only did Marcos Alonso as the left-sided wing-back offer protection, but Chelsea also had a left-sided centre-back mopping up, with Matic and N’Golo Kante acting as the ball-winners. Chelsea again won the league in 2016-17, finishing with 93 points.

Even in his final season, Hazard helped Chelsea win the Europa League under Maurizio Sarri. He made no secret of how much he enjoyed playing with Olivier Giroud, a powerful striker whom he felt complemented his game brilliantly.

Grealish, it should be said, does get down and dirty when he needs to. He tracks back and occasionally makes important blocks and interceptions as Villa, unlike Chelsea, have to grind it out more often.

But can they consistently find solutions in other areas of the pitch to get the very best out of their top performer?

Grealish typically wins Villa a few more points with his performances, but Hazard used to win Chelsea trophies and league titles with his. Therefore, when Grealish plays so well for a side that hasn’t won a trophy for 24 years and has averaged just 36 points per season in their last eight Premier League campaigns, the debate will always be whether playing for another club will help him scale even greater heights.

For now, though, it’s interesting to see whether Grealish can maintain his current level and cement himself as one of the Premier League’s most feared attackers.

There’s also no intention to sell, for two main reasons: 1) he’s just signed a new five-year contract, and 2) his value has rocketed to over the £100 million mark, posing the question: which club can even afford to buy him right now anyway?

The Hazard comparison rings true because there are so many other similarities. Take the fouls for starters.

Villa’s medical staff are amazed at how strong Grealish’s ankles are. The physios have lost count of the number of times they have winced in the dugout as another challenge has left Grealish in a heap. Their take is that if it was any other player, a lengthy spell on the sidelines would follow.

It was, however, the same at Chelsea when Hazard used to peel off his strapping to reveal the cuts and bruises, scuff marks and scars after games. He won 638 fouls over his seven years, an average of one foul every half an hour of game time or 26 touches of the ball.

Grealish, incredibly, has a one-in-14 ratio of fouls to touches this season. He’s the most fouled player in the Premier League by some distance over the last two seasons. Some suggest that he goes down too easily, but boss Dean Smith disagrees: “If they’re not fouls, then the referee doesn’t give them.

“You tell me the top forwards who don’t go down easy. They get their bodies in really good positions so the defenders have to go through them.”

In some ways, then, it’s an art that Grealish has mastered. Hazard had a knack of winning penalties in a way that Grealish wins fouls all over the pitch.

Those who know each individual well say the constant kicking during games irritates them, but not enough to stop either player from loving the game. They are both free-spirited mavericks and in some ways have never left their innocent childhood years behind.

In his youth, Hazard would ping shots barefooted into the top corner after sneaking on to the pitch behind the family home in Braine-le-Comte, whereas Grealish would visit his Birmingham City-supporting friend’s house “because he had a bigger garden” and play one-on-one “Villa vs Blues” games.

It was ex-boss Steve Bruce who said that when he watched Grealish train, he could still see the excited schoolboy in the playground. Bruce, now head coach at Newcastle United, also described Grealish as Villa’s “crown jewel”.

A worrying thought for opponents is that many of Grealish’s team-mates believe he will get even better when supporters are allowed back inside stadiums across the country. He’s taken his game to a new level this season. The way he glides past opponents and is able to slow down and then speed up play in the same way that made Hazard such a success is receiving global attention.

Grealish is no stranger to living up to high expectations, though. When he ripped the Championship apart, he was always asked to show his qualities in the Premier League. When he performed well for England, he was then challenged to do it against the bigger nations.

Now, he’s spoken about in the same breath as a Premier League great like Hazard. It’s a stretch to think that Messi and Ronaldo will one day come into the conversation, but like Hazard said when he was asked about the two greats: “Why not?”

I haven't watched grealish play at all but if he is really close to prime hazard. Everyone will offer 100 m for him next year. 100 m for 26 old prime hazard is bargain. 

[Vesper 27,310]

12 minutes ago, communicate said:

I haven't watched grealish play at all but if he is really close to prime hazard. Everyone will offer 100 m for him next year. 100 m for 26 old prime hazard is bargain. 

I can see it, provided one of the clubs has the cash

this coming summer is the last time for that for me, as he turns 26 next September, and so you figure you get 5 full prime years out of him, as he, like Hazard, is going to be beat down once he hits over 30, due to the incredible physical abuse he takes. Unless he changes his game (which he is capable of) I cannot see a 32yo Grealish being at the level he is now. I said the same thing about Hazard and I have been proven right on him so far.

I do not see either Eden or Jack as genetic freak types. Maybe Grealish a wee bit more, but nothing like Thiago, Giroud, Sergio Ramos, Giggs, Xavi, Zlatan, CR7, Messi, Maldini, Totti, Pirlo, Buffon, etc level (Lampard to a degree as well) Maybe Eden and Grealish prove me wrong.

[Jase 43,479]

Is there anything that Klopp hasn't moaned about this season?

At this rate, he's gonna complain about why opposing teams are playing with 11 players!

[Strike 6,961]

26 minutes ago, Jason said:

Is there anything that Klopp hasn't moaned about this season?

At this rate, he's gonna complain about why opposing teams are playing with 11 players!

'nice bloke' image shattered this season

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

Liverpool this season in the CL and PL played 17 games and in 4 games with VVD they conceded more goals than without him in 13 games.

I really thought without him they would be 30% or 40% lesser side but even without him and Alisson they look the same if not better. I have hope in Mourinho to stop their home run next week.

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Liverpool this season in the CL and PL played 17 games and in 4 games with VVD they conceded more goals than without him in 13 games.

I really thought without him they would be 30% or 40% lesser side but even without him and Alisson they look the same if not better. I have hope in Mourinho to stop their home run next week.

You really want Spurs to win the Premier League, don't you...?  

[Azul 1,615]

Liverpool this season in the CL and PL played 17 games and in 4 games with VVD they conceded more goals than without him in 13 games.
I really thought without him they would be 30% or 40% lesser side but even without him and Alisson they look the same if not better. I have hope in Mourinho to stop their home run next week.

Liverpool will get exposed against Tottenham. Liverpools highline is made for Son to run in behind and to punish them. Tottenhams counterattack will kill them, but I can see Mane and Salah also score goals if Spurs park the bus.

One thing I know is that it's definitely going to be Liverpools toughest game. If they somehow manage to beat Spurs easily then I can't see anyone stop them from winning the league.

[Jase 43,479]

3 minutes ago, Azul said:

Liverpool will get exposed against Tottenham. Liverpools highline is made for Son to run in behind and to punish them. Tottenhams counterattack will kill them, but I can see Mane and Salah also score goals if Spurs park the bus.

One thing I know is that it's definitely going to be Liverpools toughest game. If they somehow manage to beat Spurs easily then I can't see anyone stop them from winning the league.

Pretty sure Klopp isn't stupid enough to leave his side exposed against Spurs like Guardiola and Arteta did.

And moreover, Klopp has a good record against Mourinho over the years. Just 2 losses in 11 games and 1 of them was a part dead-rubber. 

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

4 minutes ago, Jason said:

You really want Spurs to win the Premier League, don't you...?  

I prefer Chelsea 

But on a serious note, I think some of us Chelsea fans worldwide do not feel rivalry with Spurs in the same way like fans from London. I look at Spurs and Arsenal like Everton and Leicester. Completely irrelevant clubs. 

We fought for trophies with United, City mostly last 15 years or so. I mean we are 3 most successful PL sides in this period. Many games against Liverpool in CL as well. So they are biggest rivals for me, but ofc I understand that Arse and Spurs are probably bigger rivals because they are from the same city and I would feel the same way if I live in London and being surrender with them...

[Atomiswave 6,072]

8 hours ago, Jason said:

Is there anything that Klopp hasn't moaned about this season?

At this rate, he's gonna complain about why opposing teams are playing with 11 players!

A cunt is a cunt end of, we will see more of his bs all season

[NikkiCFC 7,580]

10 minutes ago, Azul said:

Liverpool will get exposed against Tottenham. Liverpools highline is made for Son to run in behind and to punish them. Tottenhams counterattack will kill them, but I can see Mane and Salah also score goals if Spurs park the bus.

One thing I know is that it's definitely going to be Liverpools toughest game. If they somehow manage to beat Spurs easily then I can't see anyone stop them from winning the league.

Last season Spurs almost beat them at Anfield. Spurs were up and with like 25 minutes to go Son missed empty goal and hit the post.

1:05. That would be game over. After that Liverpool scored twice with Mane diving a penalty... And Spurs are now much better side and Pool without some serious players so I fancy Spurs chances.

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, NikkiCFC said:

Last season Spurs almost beat them at Anfield. Spurs were up and with like 25 minutes to go Son missed empty goal and hit the post.

1:05. That would be game over. After that Liverpool scored twice with Mane diving a penalty... And Spurs are now much better side and Pool without some serious players so I fancy Spurs chances.

But Spurs were still under Pochettino then and we all know Pochettino and Mourinho approach these big games differently. 

[Jase 43,479]

If we want to win the title, then we need the Liverpool v Spurs game to end in a draw really.

A win for either side is not ideal at all, especially Spurs (HEAVEN FORBID!)...

[Jase 43,479]

16 hours ago, Vesper said:

Goals, tricks and winning free kicks: Grealish is like Eden Hazard at his peak

https://theathletic.com/2246515/2020/12/08/jack-grealish-villa-eden-hazard/

In his final Premier League season, Eden Hazard was widely recognised as the player most likely to catch up with superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the pair entered the twilight of their remarkable careers.

The former Chelsea star hoped he could emulate Ronaldo and Messi by one day winning the Ballon d’Or.

“Messi, Ronaldo, they are on another planet, but yeah, why not? I try to be one of the best, so if I can be, why not?” he said in a 2015 newspaper interview.

In the same year, Hazard received the PFA Player of the Year award as he starred in the side that won the Premier League. For many opponents, the only way to stop the tricky Belgian was to chop him down.

Which brings us to Aston Villa’s captain Jack Grealish.

It was in the detailed analysis on Monday Night Football that Jamie Carragher drew the initial comparison between the pair, highlighting Grealish’s quick and inventive runs down the left side of attack and likening them to Hazard when he was on fire at Stamford Bridge.

Former Chelsea player Ashley Cole also compared their styles, saying: “He’s got that Hazard quality, he can beat players left and right.”

For close to two years, Grealish has been playing on the left side of attack, a blend of No 11 and No 10 — part mazy winger, part playmaker, part second striker. He is very much to Villa what Hazard was to Chelsea, and not just in terms of positioning, either.

As the Belgian was at Chelsea, Grealish is the star man in his team. He is Villa’s main source of goals and a great entertainer.

It’s too soon to suggest that he’s as efficient and productive as Hazard, who also had the on-pitch numbers (110 goals and 92 assists in all competitions) and trophies (two league titles, two Europa Leagues, an FA Cup and a League Cup) to back up his incredible talent.

But this season alone, Grealish is performing as well as the diminutive attacker once was.

Five goals and five assists after nine games means he’s on course to challenge Hazard’s 16 goals and 15 assists from 37 Premier League games in 2018-19 (his final, and most prolific, season in London).

Grealish is the most fouled player in the Premier League by some distance over the last two seasons (Photo: Tim Keeton – Pool/Getty Images)

Grealish is averaging the same amount of shots on goal (2.9) per 90 minutes in the Premier League as Hazard (2.9) managed in that season.

He averages around 20 fewer touches (63.3 compared to 82.4) per 90 minutes this season than Hazard did in 2018-19, yet makes more touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes (8.8 for Grealish, 7.4 for Hazard).

Hazard’s efficiency in his final season was what put him into that category to rival both Messi and Ronaldo.

His 16 Premier League goals had an expected goals (xG) value of 10.53, boosted by his spectacularly accurate finishing up to an expected goals on target (xGOT) rating of 15.24. The xG statistic measures the quality of Hazard’s shooting opportunities — i.e. how many goals he would be expected to score in a season. The xGOT rating measures the quality of Hazard’s shots from those opportunities. The fact that his xGOT is nearly 50 per cent higher than his xG shows that he was finishing chances excellently.

He converted 27 per cent of his shots and a remarkable 55.6 per cent of his 18 “big chances”, as defined by Opta.

This season Grealish has converted 19 per cent of his shots and two (40 per cent) of his five big chances. His five Premier League goals have an expected goals (xG) value of 2.58, boosted further to an xGOT rating of 3.03. He’s also created seven big chances after just nine games compared to Hazard’s 18 in his final season.

That’s the data box ticked, but the true likeness comes from the way Grealish bullies teams. That relentless energy on the ball is exactly what made Hazard such a success when he played in England. On top of that, Grealish has reached pretty much every other challenge set by him at Villa over the years, and his game continues to improve.

In the latter years of his Chelsea career, giving Hazard the ball essentially became Chelsea’s entire attacking system, and that’s how Villa operate with their star man now.

Away from his attacking talents, a theme in Hazard’s career in England was that every manager wanted a little more from him defensively.

“In my career, I’ve frustrated all my managers and I’ll also frustrate the next manager I have,” Hazard said in 2019.

With a team packed full of quality, every manager also managed to find a way to allow him to roam freely by rejigging the set-up that also allowed Chelsea to flourish.

In 2014-15 Jose Mourinho stuck the reliable and consistent Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back, with Nemanja Matic on the left side of central midfield in a 4-2-3-1 system that gave Hazard space to create. Diego Costa also occupied the centre-halves with strength and brute force as Chelsea won the league.

Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 set-up then allowed Hazard even more freedom to attack. Not only did Marcos Alonso as the left-sided wing-back offer protection, but Chelsea also had a left-sided centre-back mopping up, with Matic and N’Golo Kante acting as the ball-winners. Chelsea again won the league in 2016-17, finishing with 93 points.

Even in his final season, Hazard helped Chelsea win the Europa League under Maurizio Sarri. He made no secret of how much he enjoyed playing with Olivier Giroud, a powerful striker whom he felt complemented his game brilliantly.

Grealish, it should be said, does get down and dirty when he needs to. He tracks back and occasionally makes important blocks and interceptions as Villa, unlike Chelsea, have to grind it out more often.

But can they consistently find solutions in other areas of the pitch to get the very best out of their top performer?

Grealish typically wins Villa a few more points with his performances, but Hazard used to win Chelsea trophies and league titles with his. Therefore, when Grealish plays so well for a side that hasn’t won a trophy for 24 years and has averaged just 36 points per season in their last eight Premier League campaigns, the debate will always be whether playing for another club will help him scale even greater heights.

For now, though, it’s interesting to see whether Grealish can maintain his current level and cement himself as one of the Premier League’s most feared attackers.

There’s also no intention to sell, for two main reasons: 1) he’s just signed a new five-year contract, and 2) his value has rocketed to over the £100 million mark, posing the question: which club can even afford to buy him right now anyway?

The Hazard comparison rings true because there are so many other similarities. Take the fouls for starters.

Villa’s medical staff are amazed at how strong Grealish’s ankles are. The physios have lost count of the number of times they have winced in the dugout as another challenge has left Grealish in a heap. Their take is that if it was any other player, a lengthy spell on the sidelines would follow.

It was, however, the same at Chelsea when Hazard used to peel off his strapping to reveal the cuts and bruises, scuff marks and scars after games. He won 638 fouls over his seven years, an average of one foul every half an hour of game time or 26 touches of the ball.

Grealish, incredibly, has a one-in-14 ratio of fouls to touches this season. He’s the most fouled player in the Premier League by some distance over the last two seasons. Some suggest that he goes down too easily, but boss Dean Smith disagrees: “If they’re not fouls, then the referee doesn’t give them.

“You tell me the top forwards who don’t go down easy. They get their bodies in really good positions so the defenders have to go through them.”

In some ways, then, it’s an art that Grealish has mastered. Hazard had a knack of winning penalties in a way that Grealish wins fouls all over the pitch.

Those who know each individual well say the constant kicking during games irritates them, but not enough to stop either player from loving the game. They are both free-spirited mavericks and in some ways have never left their innocent childhood years behind.

In his youth, Hazard would ping shots barefooted into the top corner after sneaking on to the pitch behind the family home in Braine-le-Comte, whereas Grealish would visit his Birmingham City-supporting friend’s house “because he had a bigger garden” and play one-on-one “Villa vs Blues” games.

It was ex-boss Steve Bruce who said that when he watched Grealish train, he could still see the excited schoolboy in the playground. Bruce, now head coach at Newcastle United, also described Grealish as Villa’s “crown jewel”.

A worrying thought for opponents is that many of Grealish’s team-mates believe he will get even better when supporters are allowed back inside stadiums across the country. He’s taken his game to a new level this season. The way he glides past opponents and is able to slow down and then speed up play in the same way that made Hazard such a success is receiving global attention.

Grealish is no stranger to living up to high expectations, though. When he ripped the Championship apart, he was always asked to show his qualities in the Premier League. When he performed well for England, he was then challenged to do it against the bigger nations.

Now, he’s spoken about in the same breath as a Premier League great like Hazard. It’s a stretch to think that Messi and Ronaldo will one day come into the conversation, but like Hazard said when he was asked about the two greats: “Why not?”

Have seen similar articles a fair bit but it's really pointless until he goes to a big club, prove he can do it at the highest level week in week out and lead that club to titles like Hazard did for us. Until then, it's gonna feel like he's just the big fish in a small pond even if he keeps producing the numbers in a side that is essentially built around him. 

[Vesper 27,310]

‘Brexit has killed the Premier League dream for young players. It’s a real shame’

https://theathletic.com/2249803/2020/12/10/brexit-premier-league/

When Sebastian Kneissl started making waves at Eintracht Frankfurt as a 17-year-old, Ajax, Lazio, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid made advances. But the highly-rated striker never went to inspect any of those club’s training grounds. His mind was set on joining Chelsea, the only English side that had enquired about his services.

“I was fascinated by the Premier League, there was nothing else for me,” he tells The Athletic 20 years later. “Now, Brexit has killed that dream for young players. It’s a real shame.”

From next year, English clubs will no longer be able to sign foreign players until they are 18. The new rules (pushed for by the FA) also stipulate that Premier League clubs will only be allowed to sign six overseas under-21 players per season from 2021-22, with only three permitted in the upcoming January window.

FIFA is yet to finalise its new post-Brexit transfer rules concerning under-18s but some European teams thought they might still be able to sign British under-18s for their youth teams. However English clubs are pressing FIFA to standardise the process globally, so all players can only move countries when they turn 16.

The FA and FIFA are currently in talks about this — and there are discussions ongoing about whether the Republic of Ireland should be exempt from the new regulations.

A source close to the negotiations said: “They’re trying to put a Band-Aid on a compound fracture. They know they have to address the specific problem of Ireland’s young players but that opens up a Pandora’s box for the Premier League and the rest of Europe.”

Kneissl’s move to west London, unlike that of his compatriot Robert Huth one year later in 2001, ultimately didn’t work out as a series of injuries halted his progress.

Subsequent transfers to third- and fourth-division sides in Germany failed to rekindle his professional career. But the 37-year-old doesn’t have any regrets. He regards the new regulations as damaging for football.

“By taking away options for young players to develop in one of the most important football nations in the world, you’re taking away options and opportunities for them. It’s bad for the game. Robert Huth’s characteristics, for example, weren’t really valued very highly in Germany at the time, but as a tall and very physical player, he was perfect for English football. Now, that route is cut off for them at a critical time of their development.”

Munich-based Kneissl, who these days works as a leadership coach with professional footballers and helps them maximise their potential by honing their decision-making process and mental resilience, also believes that moving abroad at an early age can foster personal growth. “It was extremely exciting for me and Robert to stay with host families in a new country, getting to know a different language and a different culture. You learn to solve problems by yourself. You take on responsibility. In my mind, it’s a catastrophe that European players won’t be able to experience the same in the future.

“I’m pretty sure a lot of young players who might have been weighing up a move to England in recent months will feel very down about that chance suddenly being taken away from them.”

There will be other knock-on effects. British players will be protected from foreign competition until they’re 18 but their clubs will miss out on many of the continent’s most promising youngsters in return.

There are currently 86 non-British EU teenagers signed to Premier League clubs’ under-18 and under-23 squads. Manchester United have the most on their books, with 12. Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Southampton follow with six each, while Burnley have none.

That total number includes Billy Koumetio, who became Liverpool’s youngest ever Champions League player on Wednesday night with a substitute appearance in the 1-1 draw at Midtjylland. The 18-year-old Frenchman joined the club from US Orleans in 2018.

Cesc Fabregas, who joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003, would have been prevented from moving from Barcelona, as would Hector Bellerin. Nicolas Anelka would have been blocked from joining Arsenal from Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 17.

Many Premier League clubs were busy this summer buying youth talent before the Brexit regulations came into play.

Under the new rules, all overseas adult players joining the Premier League will have to qualify for entry through a points-based system — European players will have to acquire 15 points to gain a governing body endorsement. By contrast, in Germany, there will continue to be no legal restrictions on signing adult foreign players for professional teams, although the German FA stipulates that 12 players must be natives in every squad.

Roy Rajber, Germany managing director at football agency Stellar, anticipates ”a shifting of market forces” that will strengthen the position of the Bundesliga in particular.

“They will be able to keep hold of their own players for longer,” he says, as England’s riches will be out of reach for young players. Meanwhile, fees and wages for British players will rise even further, as will the market values for adult European players.

At the same time, Rajber suspects that Premier League clubs will redouble their attempts to get hold of European talent via strategic tie-ups with continental clubs. “We will see more sides going down the route of Chelsea, who have a partnership with Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands, or Manchester City, with their extensive network of subsidiary clubs.

“Whereas the best teenagers would have gone straight to England before, they will now have to be persuaded to develop at one of the connected clubs before moving over at the age of 18, at the earliest.

“For some, starting at that lower level might be beneficial but this enforced detour will certainly take away from the intrinsic appeal of Premier League clubs. I’d expect the big Bundesliga sides to become the new number one choice of young European players, as they can promise decent money, realistic prospects of development and involvement in a high-level competition.”

Rajber name-checks United States international (and Portuguese passport holder) Giovanni Reyna, one of this season’s breakout stars.

The now-18-year-old was tempted by offers from half the Premier League before opting for Dortmund two years ago. “The next Reyna won’t have those choices available to him,” Rajber says. “Bundesliga clubs have a good chance of becoming the most-appealing destination for players who are at a similar stage in their career. They can point to the success of Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala or Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen and make a good case for themselves.”

Paul Conway, co-chairman of Barnsley, alluded to this in a chat with The Athletic, saying more clubs will look to replicate the Red Bull or City group model as a result of the Brexit changes.

He said: “We took control of Oostende in Belgium, in May, and then completely changed over the team from an older plotting team to an attacking young team, average age 23. And we have a small stake in a Swiss club called Thun. When we’re recruiting, especially post Brexit, we have a lot of flexibility on where the players are signed, both based upon the location and also the level of quality of the player at that time.”

Bayern Munich’s campus director Jochen Sauer told The Athletic: “All English top clubs have about three or four European talents in the under-17 and under-18 squads. Without them, the number of interested clubs for top talents will dwindle somewhat. But we will still have to convince a 16-year-old to come to Bayern rather than to Real Madrid, Barcelona or Juventus.

“The direct impact on Bayern will only concern singular cases. In each year, there are 20 to 25 players that the six top clubs in Europe are after. It’s possible that there some slight ‘positive’ effects on wage demands at this level. English top clubs tend to offer very good wages for 16 or 17-year-olds in comparison with European clubs.”

Jurgen Klopp also addressed the issue, believing English players are benefiting from training with some of the best talent in Europe — which will no longer happen post-Brexit.

“People – the FA or whoever – want to make sure that the clubs don’t sign too many players from other countries because they are afraid that not enough English talents will make their way”, he said. “But if you look at the English youth national teams at the moment they are in the top two or three – if not the top – in nearly all age groups; talent-wise they are 100 per cent, and that is with the way we did it before.

“So let’s think about why that happened. They had a lot of players around them that played good football as well. It’s helpful. We cannot just create more talents because we deny other talents.”

The Bundesliga’s track record in developing budding professionals was already strong before the new Brexit regulations barred their move to the UK but since England and its money can no longer have as much sway over the market, talents will flock elsewhere.

“Half of the French under-17s team are queuing up to join us,” a Bundesliga official told The Athletic. He was only half-joking.

[Atomiswave 6,072]

WTF Grealish like Eden? Talk about overrating a player, peak Eden was like top 4 in the world ffs.

[Vesper 27,310]

Trashing the art created out of thin air by improvisational geniuses

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

Bureaucratic nonsense, earlier. Photograph: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images

Scott Murray

OLD FIVER YELLS AT CLOUD Every generation comes up with a few new ideas that change the world and move things forward: the wheel, the steam engine, the printing press, this hot new “Dixieland jass”. Play it to The Fiver! Play it! But the innovations being made by this current generation are ballsing everything up big style. In January, Brexit will make 1970s Poland look like an episode of Supermarket Sweep. Digital streaming means the Original Dixieland Jass Band now only get paid 0.0000000000000000000001p per riff. Daily satirical emails are not as good as serious reportage. And then there’s VAR. We really have jiggered the entire effing lot, haven’t we. Planet’s gone. Well done, kids!

Liverpool controversially denied late winner by VAR in draw with Midtjylland Read more

“I used to be one of the people who said VAR is a good idea,” Jürgen Klopp admitted on Wednesday night. “I’m really not sure if I would say that again to be honest.” Jürgen joins The Fiver’s club after a farcical Big Cup match in which both Midtjylland and Liverpool scored goals that looked perfectly good to the n@ked eye, only to be denied by some desk-bound bureaucratic nonentity who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing, and left 22 muscle-bound athletes standing in the freezing Danish winter night while he toiled away in the warmth of his deep-pile-carpeted office, in search of any reason to trash the art that had just been created out of thin air by improvisational geniuses, spoiling the enjoyment of millions. “But now we have it,” concluded Klopp, saying more with one sigh than The Fiver could in an entire overwritten paragraph. The fact that both calls were technically right isn’t the issue and doesn’t negate the central thrust of the argument, as anyone debating this subject in good faith knows full well. “It just took too long,” Klopp concluded, “and it was cold for the boys which didn’t help.” In bygone times, Liverpool would have warmed themselves up after the match with several generous glasses of that limited-edition Christmas ale the Danes have that tastes like Newcastle Brown sieved through a sock, but modern sport science means they can’t even do that nowadays. There’s probably no putting that particular Julebryg genie back in the bottle, but could we at least cut the plug off the VAR box? That’s almost certainly not going to happen either, though, is it. A depressed Fiver puts on Tiger Rag in order to cheer itself up. Don’t spend your 0.0000000000000000000001p royalties all at once, Original Dixieland Jass Band! LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE! Join Barry Glendenning and Scott Murray from 5.55pm for white-knuckle clockwatch coverage of Thursday’s Big Vase action, featuring four British teams that have already qualified and two more that can’t. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Goodbye Paolo Rossi, the unforgettable champion” – Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte leads the tributes after the 1982 World Cup winner died at the age of 64.

RIP Paolo. Photograph: Colorsport/Rex/Shutterstock

FIVER LETTERS “Dear Fiver, here are the final 16 in Big Cup: four teams from Spain, four from Germany, three from England, three from Italy, PSG and Porto. Here is the number of teams not from Spain, Germany, England or Italy to win Big Cup in the last 25 years: one (Porto, 2004). It turns out the European Superleague already exists. Uefa just needs to figure out how to replace Porto with Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s free-form jazz collective (yesterday’s Fiver), and we’ll be all set” – Ursolin Waxoh. “David Carr is quite right to note Neil Warnock’s near-Mourinho level of mind-gamery (yesterday’s Fiver letters). My observation was merely intended to badger Stoke for the state of the loos at a major professional sports arena. But to learn that it was actually a sunny afternoon – not a cold and windy night – that generated such an offensive smell suggests they’ve got an even more serious plumbing problem than originally thought” – Mike Wilner. Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day prize is … Ursolin Waxoh. RECOMMENDED SHOPPING Available at our print shop now, Tom Jenkins’s pictures of the past decade. There’s also this Gazza picture there too. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Antonio Conte is in a predictable funk after Inter crashed out of Big Cup and failed to even make Big Vase after a 0-0 draw with Shakhtar. “Throughout [Big Cup], we have been unlucky with referees and VAR,” he fumed. “Now that we are out, I feel I have to say this. It seems to me that Inter have not been respected, if you go back and look at the situations that have not been reviewed or evaluated.”

Easy there, Steven Taylor. Photograph: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images

Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane can’t see himself emulating Lord Ferg at Manchester United and staying for the long, long haul. “I will never be Madrid’s Ferguson, I’m sure of that,” he tooted after his team beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 to reach the last 16 of Big Cup, despite recent defeats. “What I really want is to enjoy what I’m doing, I don’t know for how long I will stay here so I don’t even think about it.” Here are still the Belgians! Bobby M’s team have topped Fifa’s world rankings for a third straight year. Having recalled him ahead of schedule for the north London derby, Arsenal will now be without Thomas Partey for the next few matches after a new case of thigh-gah. “In football you have a lot of unpredictable actions,” sighed Mikel Arteta. Some more so than others, clearly. And Morecambe fan Cliff Crabtree, 90, got a birthday surprise after the team bus stopped at his house on their way home from last weekend’s game at Newport. “It was a complete surprise for him,” said Cliff’s son, Martin. “About 20 friends and family also stood outside his house, and the coach pulled up, and the manager and club captain presented him with a card and mug and scarf.” STILL WANT MORE? Classic YouTube features a tribute to Paolo Rossi, a Manchester derby preview and some acrobatic somersault throw-ins. Our all-singing-and-dancing interactive of the 100 best female footballers in 2020 has reached the base camp of 11th, with the top 10 to be revealed on Friday.

Onwards. Illustration: Guardian Design

Ranked 51st is Caitlin Foord, star for both Arsenal and Australia, and she’s been talking about overcoming flamin’ potentially career-threatening knack in 2018. Manchester United are out of Big Cup and Jonathan Liew is not one to miss a chance to dish out some well-deserved blame. Dani Garavelli has written on the eeriness of young players starting their careers in empty stadiums. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! ‘THE MOST THREATENING AURA IN THE VIP LOUNGE’