HAZARD: WE’VE GOT OUR EYES ON HISTORY
BY THE time he emerged from the Chelsea dressing room, his son’s Spider-Man face paint had started to fade, but Eden Hazard’s superhero status was still in full force. Hazard is on fire again. In fact, he could be better than ever. His nine goals in 17 games represents a personal best start to a campaign for the 25-year-old.
Morale is soaring and the Belgian’s body language is positive. And so it should be with Chelsea forging clear at the top of the Premier League, having extended their winning run to a club-record 12 games.
“We feel good,” beamed Hazard. “We are full of confidence. We try to win every game. We don’t look at records, but if we can make history in this club we will.
“Let’s keep it going. I don’t know if it’s the best Chelsea team I’ve played in, but it’s a good team. We win every game!”
Manager Antonio Conte is all about the team and reluctant to pile plaudits on particular players, but win No 12 on Boxing Day was rich in Hazard magic.
As he twisted and turned, ducked and weaved against Bournemouth, it seemed to mark the completion of his circle from Footballer of the Year to Flop of the Year and back.
Exploded
Once again, Hazard has his eyes on the top prizes. He punched passes in to feet and exploded in a burst of pace, seeking the return, bouncing off defenders and riding tackles like a rubber ball.
In one breath, he forced a flying save from Artur Boruc with a 20-metre rabona, unaware the whistle had gone a split second earlier for a foul.
In another, he outfoxed opponents in a congested midfield by flicking the ball over the prone Cesc Fabregas and hurdling his teammate to collect it on the bounce at the other side.
London-based Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur of Het Laatste Nieuws has hailed him as “The Edentertainer”.
“He has great talent,” said Conte. “The most important thing is him putting his talent in the team. It’s fantastic to see the great job he is doing with and without the ball. I hope he can continue to improve in this way. I am pleased for him, but also all my players.”
His invention and trickery thrilled but it was his direct, fearless running style that caused the most problems for Bournemouth’s well-organised defence.
Expert eyes drew comparisons to a young Ryan Giggs in full flow, drawing his marker in tight and turning him on the first touch.
Spinning away and driving into packed areas at the heart of the defence, his dribbles spread chaos and created spaces for Willian and Pedro Rodriguez, and rampaging wing-backs Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso.
Playing in a central position instead of Diego Costa, who was serving a one-match ban, gave Hazard more options, although the threat to go either left or right has become a greater part of his armoury this season.
Conte has tucked Hazard inside since switching Chelsea’s formation to a 3-4-3, making him less of an orthodox winger and more of an old-fashioned inside-left.
The subtle switch means he has fewer defensive duties and has moved his quality into areas where he can threaten more.
“I tried to find a freedom,” said Hazard, when asked about his shift at centre forward. I played there last year one time, so I know the position. We are all different players, Pedro, Willian and me. We move a lot, so I am not staying in the front.”
Top scorer Costa will be back against Stoke today, when Pedro will be suspended, which means Hazard will be back in his support role.
Like others, he had expected Conte to select Michy Batshuayi as Costa’s replacement. Batshuayi had to settle for a place on the bench and some words of comfort from his manager.
Conte claimed the emphatic performance without Costa or N’Golo Kante, who was also suspended, sent a strong message to Chelsea’s title rivals.
Hazard said: “Before the game, we didn’t know how we would do. To miss those two was a good challenge, and we did well.
“But this league is very difficult. The opponents try to give everything because they want to beat the team who are first. Now everyone wants to beat us.” – Daily Mail