The snipers are already lining up for Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, but we are confident his true ability will out.
Last summer Manchester United spent big on signing David de Gea from Atletico Madrid. After one mistake in the Community Shield his critics were ready to round on him.
An error against West Brom on his Premier League debut saw more criticism, with some even comparing him to Massimo Taibi, while The Times’ Patrick Barclay described him as ‘Heurelho Gomes with less shot stopping skills’.
The Spaniard lost his place to Anders Lindegaard, but only briefly, as an injury suffered by the Dane allowed De Gea a second chance. He took it.
United may have narrowly lost out on the league title, but their efforts to match City on points were in part down to a series of stunning saves pulled off by the goalkeepers. At the end of the season nobody was questioning his talent.
12 months on, we see a few parallels with Eden Hazard, except in this case pundits are perhaps keener to see the player flop.
When we say ‘will Hazard be this year’s De Gea’ – We are not suggesting Hazard will flop, anything but. Yet should he suffer from a slow start, expect criticism even though it will be unjustified.
Hazard attracted the ire of many for the way he publicly orchestrated his transfer hunt, and the knives are already sharpening, as utterly ridiculous as it sounds.
His failed backheel attempt in the Community Shield was a case in point. So much was made of a simple misjudgement, which would barely have been mentioned had Juan Mata fluffed it.
It has been suggested that the Belgian has set himself up to fail, but he can’t. He is too good for that. His high price tag will increase the pressure, but he will grow into it.
He will perhaps try too hard to make things happen, and he may have a difficult few months, or even weeks, or he could simply banish the doubters with a stunning opening day hat-trick.
That does seem unlikely given his underwhelming pre-season form, following his debut strike against Seattle, but it is wrong to read too much into preparation match-ups.
Hazard has it all to do this season, fans and pundits will want to see just why Chelsea shelled out so much for him and for the hype to be partly justified. The player himself is trying to downplay expectation at present, cheekily suggesting he could be an expensive flop.
If he doesn’t have an immediate impact – Don’t be surprised when the backlash against him intensifies. It’s only natural for a player who has the attitude and skill of Cristiano Ronaldo. The former Manchester United man thrived on it and the Belgian will have to do the same.
Unlike De Gea, Hazard’s outfield position makes it easier to defy the critics. Rather than being nervous about making a mistake like the goalkeeper, a goal or even an assist for Hazard will do wonders for his confidence.
It will be a long season, and fans and pundits should wait for him to settle before labelling him a success or not. His true potential will likely only shine after a couple of seasons in the Premier League any way, so what happens in this opening month of the season is of little importance.
image: © James Boyes
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