Eden Hazard Slowly Becoming The Main Man Again

The working relationship between Eden Hazard and Antonio Conte looks set to be highly productive for both men as Chelsea plot a Premier League title challenge.

After a miserable 2015-16 spent struggling under the unravelling management of Jose Mourinho and battling persistent muscular injuries, Hazard is a footballer revived in both body and mind. Conte’s gruelling preseason ensured that all of his players embarked on the new campaign fully prepared for the relentless intensity of Premier League football, while the new head coach’s style in training and in matches has been as positive as it is demanding.

Hazard has responded with one of the most prolific scoring runs of his career: seven goals in 11 Premier League matches, culminating in a man of the match performance in last Saturday’s 5-0 win against Everton hailed by some observers as one of the best individual displays seen in English football for several years.

Conte’s shift to a 3-4-3 system has given the post-Mourinho Chelsea a dynamic new identity, as well as the look of genuine title contenders. Key to this transformation has been the freedom it has given Hazard to roam around the final third, combining more closely with a rampant Diego Costa and seeking out the weak spots in opposition defences.

“I just have a bit more freedom when we have the ball and without the ball,” Hazard said of his new role after the Everton match.

“I don’t need to defend the right-back because [Marcos] Alonso is there. I just focus on staying in my position and when I have the ball I have more freedom — I can go where I want and be decisive.”

Hazard’s numbers back up the notion that his adjusted position allows him to be a bigger threat. This season in the Premier League he is averaging just under six touches per game in the opposition penalty area (5.98), second only to Costa (7.54) among Chelsea players. He is also taking a career-high 1.08 shots per game from inside the box, where he has scored six of his seven goals.

At his current rate, Hazard is on track to score 26 goals in the Premier League this season. Even if his form levels off considerably, he still looks highly likely to smash his previous Chelsea best of 14. If it doesn’t, he is well-placed to surpass the career best tally of 20 he registered in his final season at Lille.

Hazard is taking more shots — 3.3 per game — which is the most he has averaged in nine seasons as a professional. Last season, which is an aberration by virtually every metric within the context of his career, the Belgian took 36 shots. In the first 11 matches of the new Premier League campaign he has already taken 34.

“I try to shoot [more],” he said after the win against Everton. “People talk to me and say: ‘You don’t shoot enough.’ Now I try to shoot a lot because if you don’t shoot you can’t score. I don’t know if the ball will go in but I have more chance if I shoot. This is my job.”

None of those who criticise Hazard doubt his elite talent, but rather the strength of his desire to make that talent count — to impose himself on matches and turn consistent class into a tangible advantage for his team.

“He’s never afraid to play and take responsibility,” Mourinho said of Hazard in an interview with the Telegraph in October 2014.

“But it’s not about that. It’s about him saying: ‘Today, I have to be decisive.’ Don’t be happy with doing nice things. Don’t be happy being up and down in the game. You have to do something in the game that wins the game for us.”

Hazard got the message under Mourinho and became regarded as one of the best footballers in England as he inspired Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2014-15. Now, helped by the intelligent management of Conte, it seems the drive to dominate is finally coming from within.

Asked about his omission from this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist after the Everton game, Hazard said: “Last season I wasn’t good, so for me it’s normal that I’m not on the list. I want to come back and give everything to be on the list — not to be in the top 23, but to be in the top five. I want to reach this level.”

Conte is more concerned with team objectives, but Hazard’s statement of intent will be music to his ears. At his imperious best there are very few footballers better, and Chelsea’s revival will benefit hugely if he scales new personal heights. On the evidence of recent weeks, the process is well under way.