The mere fact that every big club on the planet was chasing Eden Hazard before his move to Chelsea is enough justification for labelling the Belgian as one of the world’s best football players. His supreme ability and potential aroused interest from the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United but it was boring old Chelsea who nabbed the then 21-year-old. Hazard chose to dramatically announce his choice of destination via the medium of Twitter by simply stating, “I am joining the Champions League winners”.
Under Mourinho we have seen Hazard evolve into a different and more clinical player than the one that came to England in a rather nonchalant manner. In the 2012-13 campaign we saw glimpses of Hazard’s superb ability but those moments were too few and too far between for a £32m player. Despite finishing the campaign with a Europa League medal and 13 goals in all competitions there was a feeling that more could have been offered. In many games his end product was ineffective and unrefined, sometimes he would be the man to make the difference but on other times he would simply become a rather expensive passenger.
However, last season and this season so far especially, we’ve seen Hazard mature into a so-called “Mourinho type of player”. What this really means isn’t very clear but from what I understand it refers to players who are able to combine their attacking responsibilities alongside added defensive duties. One such player who failed to make the cut under Mourinho for his lack of defensive contribution was Juan Mata, who before leaving was the club’s POTY for two seasons in a row. Despite all of his attacking ability and his pivotal role for Chelsea (until Mourinho arrived at least) Mata failed to add a defensive side to his style of play. On the other hand, Oscar did. The Brazilian moulded himself into a so-called “Mourinho player” through sheer hard work; this is what Hazard also needed to do.
Mourinho’s relationship with Hazard is a very unique one in modern day football. The two share an almost father-son like bond and you can see that in how they speak about each other. When asked about Hazard by Gary Neville in an interview with the Guardian, Mourinho said: “He is humble, very humble. Very nice. Very polite. Selfish – zero. Egocentric – zero. He is fantastic.”
The Belgian’s own father even approached Mourinho and spoke to him about improving his son’s game: “I had a conversation with his father. His father told me something that I loved. I don’t think it’s a problem to tell you. He said – ‘I have a wonderful son. He is a wonderful father. He is a wonderful husband. I want him to change, because I want him to be a wonderful player. But I don’t want him to change a lot. I don’t want him to become – and he used the name of two or three players. I just want him to be the same husband, the same father, the same son, with a little but more tenacity, mental aggression, ambition, personal ego. A little bit more. And you are the guy to give it to him.”
This fascinating insight from Mourinho highlights how from the top down, Hazard has wanted to change and why he’s succeeded in doing so. With the backing of his own family and manager together, Hazard has been able to bring to Chelsea what he’s capable of.
The full interview is here for anyone interested: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/managers/jose-mourinho/11170519/Jose-Mourinho-talks-to-Gary-Neville-They-wanted-us-to-be-the-clowns-at-Anfield-we-werent-having-that.html – it provides some absorbing details into Mourinho’s mind-set and his relationship with Hazard.
Over the course of last season we did however also see Hazard criticised publically by Mourinho for his lack of contribution defensively and we even saw him drop to the bench, but did this have a negative effect on the young Belgian? Not at all, instead it gave Hazard a reason to try harder, a reason to change. Mourinho said after the 3-1 home loss to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League semi-final last season: “Eden is the kind of player that is not so mentally ready to look back to his left-back and to leave his life for him. If you see the first goal of Atlético you completely understand where the mistake was and why we conceded that goal. The perfect team at the top level cannot make these kinds of mistakes.”
It’s hardly a scathing attack but just a simple reminder to the talented yet frustrating winger that he too has defensive duties to abide to.
After falling foul of Mourinho’s wrath Hazard transformed into a player that was able to affect a game in the final third but also track back and make a difference when Chelsea were on the back foot. So far, this season we have seen even more of this Hazard, we’ve seen more grit and determination from the 23-year-old than ever. For his efforts last season Hazard won the PFA Young Player of the Year award and he was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year Award, which Luis Suarez eventually won.
In a team laden with world-class talent and certain household names, Eden Hazard has managed to stand out above the rest as a truly awesome footballer. Every time he’s on the ball at Stamford Bridge you can hear the crowd buzz. The anticipation and expectation is at an all-time high when he bears down on goal with everyone expecting him to execute something magical or mesmeric.
Against West Brom, despite the lowly 2-0 scoreline, Chelsea were outstanding – especially in the first-half. The Blues peppered Ben Foster’s goal with efforts throughout the first-half with Hazard leading the charge down the left-hand-side. The Belgian spent much of the game toying with Winston Reid and Gareth McAuley by almost ghosting past them at will. It’s no wonder that against the Baggies, Hazard became the quickest player in Premier League history to complete 50 take-ons. In fact, the Belgian with his 54 take-ons has completed more than the entire Arsenal team who are on just 45. It’s not a stat that really means much but it just shows the level and speed at which Hazard plays when going forward.
Another statistic that stands out is that Hazard is also Europe’s most fouled player with the 23-year-old being brought down a total of 35 times in the Premier League. Yet again it isn’t a statistic that shows directly how hazard is affecting the game but it shows that he is constantly making himself a problem for defenders who, as the stat shows, are unable to deal with him. This is backed up by the fact that Hazard with 62 completed dribbles has also completed the more than any other player in the Premier League, so far. By looking at these statistics it seems that when Hazard is dealt with it is with a foul and when he isn’t fouled he’s past the defender.
Despite having such an innate ability to be able to dash past players and create chances, Hazard has been under much scrutiny for his inability to finish many of his own chances. Sometimes the Belgian lacks a certain clinical edge that the world’s best have in front of goal. Many times last season, and even this season, Hazard has been unable to exploit the opportunities he’s been given. It’s frustrating to watch but by no means is it a trait in his game that he can’t extinguish. Under Mourinho we’ve already seen a huge shift in how Eden Hazard plays, who says we can’t see even further change under the Special One?
