Hazard reawakened

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are runaway league leaders after tapping into Eden Hazard’s strengths once more, writes WADE PRETORIUS in SoccerClub magazine.

Eden Hazard has Stamford Bridge back in full voice after rediscovering his best form. Something had to give: fill a room with the world’s brightest scientists and they still wouldn’t be able to figure out how Hazard could muster only four league goals last season.

Those dark days are over and Hazard is back to his brilliant best, much to the relief of the Stamford Bridge faithful. The change? A new manager and a new system that allows the Belgian the freedom of the pitch, no longer burdened by any of the defensive responsibilities with which former mentor Jose Mourinho shackled him.

The result? Seven goals, one assist and several key passes in 1 000 league minutes, as the Blues topped the EPL log with a 1-0 away win over Middlesbrough in November.

It came as little surprise; Antonio Conte was named October’s Manager of the Month and Hazard scooped the Player award, reaping the rewards of a budding, yet fruitful partnership.

Conte’s revised 3-4-3 formation has pushed Hazard further forward, allowing him to begin his attacks from a more advanced position and to link up with Diego Costa, who in turn has benefited from Hazard’s sensational reformation.

The Belgian’s performances have Conte, a triple Serie A-winning manager and former Italy coach, running out of superlatives for his 26-year-old star.

This season Chelsea have already demolished defending champions Leicester City 3-0 and they walloped Manchester United 4-0, before going one better against Ronald Koeman’s Everton. That five-star performance saw Conte label Hazard ‘a complete player’, the ultimate accolade for any footballer.

‘We all know he’s a talented player,’ Conte said. ‘I see he’s working a lot for the team and I think his teammates are very happy with this.

‘He’s a complete player when he plays in this way – with and without the ball. He must continue, because he has great talent and he’s showing this in every game.’

Former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas was left stunned at just how easily Chelsea dismantled some of the league’s most competitive units.

‘It is unbelievable how fast this Chelsea side has adapted to the type of football Conte wants them to play,’ said the Match of the Day pundit.

‘The freedom they play with is scary, so you can’t say they are not title contenders.’

A title in his first season would be a dream come true for Conte but it could prove to be disastrous for the side he is building as each display of brilliance from Hazard has clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG preparing to pull out their bottomless chequebooks and offer the former Lille player the keys to their respective cities.

Hazard confirmed that winning the league could play a part in whether he decides to take up a new challenge.

‘If I ever leave, it will be after winning a championship with Chelsea,’ Hazard told the media. ‘You need to go out on a real high so that people remember you for the right reasons.’

Conte is experienced enough to know that one season with Hazard is likely to bring silverware and what happens after that is out of his hands.