Eden Hazard got off to a flying start for Chelsea, scoring on his pre-season debut. What can we expect from him next season?
We have three words for you regarding Eden Hazard: Believe the hype.
It takes some player to have the Premier League’s top teams desperately trying to woo his signature, waiting for an announcement as to which team he would join.
That decision was made at the beginning of last month, with Chelsea officially announcing his signature on June 4. Without their Champions League win, Hazard would likely be lining up for a Manchester side right now. Which one, we may never know.
Their loss was Chelsea’s gain, and his signature has displayed the club’s intent with regard to next season. Make no mistake it is good for the Premier League, for we will now have three clubs with a genuine chance of challenging for next year’s title.
Anything less than a top three finish will be considered disappointment for Chelsea next season, and Hazard is likely to be a key man.
Since Arjen Robben left, Chelsea have searched for an attacker with magic in his boots. Florent Malouda showed glimpses but was largely inconsistent, and while Juan Mata was excellent last season, and will continue to be, he is a different type of player to Robben, and Hazard.
The man Chelsea really wanted, if what we are led to believe is true, was Cristiano Ronaldo. They were reported to have enquired in March only to be told by Real Madrid they would have to pay over the £80 million the Spanish champions paid to buy him from Manchester United.
Forget that, Abramovich thought, and rightly so, now he has got himself a younger, equally exciting model, for a relative snip at £32 million.
Hazard has that X-Factor, the pace, the trickery, all combined with the productivity of scoring and creating goals. But it will not be without it’s challenges. Even when Ronaldo himself came over to English football, he took some adjusting.
The Belgian may be a more mature player, 21, than Ronaldo was, 18, but he will have to learn to thrive with his big reputation. He will come up against some of the best defences he has ever played against, and likely some weak ones too, and the pressure of big game atmospheres will be like ones he has never felt before, while he will also be a target for the league’s ‘hatchet men’ and wind-up merchants/
What we have learned about his personality so far, is that he should excel, he is not short of confidence after all. For all Ronaldo’s flaws in his early years, he took plenty of hefty tackles, but didn’t let it put him off, he got up – often after a few rolls- and went back at it. Hazard will have to learn to do the same.
The player is a unique talent and will be a joy to watch, capable of playing anywhere across Chelsea’s attack. With Juan Mata on Olympic duty with Spain, he will have to take on responsibility of leading the team’s charge early on.
The good news? Even if he does not have a sensational season straight away, you know he is only going to get better. It was Ronaldo’s fifth season in English football which he nailed it, scoring a phenomenal 42 goals. Hazard should be allowed slack if he does not click into gear right away, he will have his ups and downs, and it is all part of the player’s development.
If Chelsea are to win the league this season, or get close, you can bet Hazard will be a key man, and there is no Premier League player we are looking forward to watching more over the coming season.
Watch Hazard’s debut goal here:
How influential can Hazard be next season?
image: © BruceW
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