EXCELLENT EDEN’S TOUCH OF GENIUS
EDEN HAZARD made his Chelsea debut in their first pre-season game, scoring in a 4-2 win over Seattle Sounders. It was quite a start for the 21-year-old Belgium playmaker, but what does £32million get you these days? Well, how about Robert Pires, Lionel Messi and Dennis Bergkamp all rolled into one ...
FIRST TOUCH
His control was immaculate. His first touch was as close to perfect as you could get, reminiscent of Pires in his prime. In a tight spot he kept the ball close, in space he prodded it forward the perfect distance so not to break his stride and if a defender was tight he turned his marker with a flick of his boot.
MOVEMENT
In a word: excellent. He popped up everywhere in the attacking third to pose serious problems. He has the knack of finding space in areas where he can hurt the opposition and his pace means he is able to escape the attentions of his marker with a sharp burst of speed to collect a pass and have an influence on the game.
DRIBBLING
A local journalist shouted: ‘Hazard dribbles the ball like Messi,’ which may be an exaggeration but you could see what he meant. The ball sticks to his feet effortlessly and despite his small stature he looks to have the strength and balance to ride robust challenges.
AWARENESS
People used to say what made Bergkamp so good was he always had a picture in his head. Hazard looks to have that same component in his game. He knew when to play one touch, when to hold it, when to run with it and when to pass it. He showed he is not a show pony — the final product is definitely there. Yes, he scored but the shot did take a huge deflection. Aside from that, Hazard showed his ability to work the goalkeeper and his ability to pop up in positions to threaten.
WILL HE SETTLE?
Well his brother Thorgan, 19, will sign for Chelsea today from Lens, so that should help them both adjust to life with the champions of Europe.