Feature 118 // 30 Sep 2018, 16:05 IST SHARE A few years ago when Jose Mourinho claimed that Eden Hazard was the third best player in the world only behind Messi and Ronaldo, many people laughed it off. Mainly because his numbers were not even close to the inhuman goals and assists Messi and Ronaldo produced. And that was true. In his best goal-scoring season, Hazard managed to score just 16 goals in the league while in their statistically worst seasons Messi and Ronaldo have managed around 26. That was mainly because Hazard loved to be the playmaker, creating chances and laying the ball off for his teammates to finish, rather than trying to score himself. It became a popular opinion that Hazard needs to start scoring more if he wants to be counted among the best, and stand a chance of winning the Ballon d'Or. Perhaps this was the reason why a dream transfer to a big club never materialised for him. And maybe that's why there is a change in him.There … [Read more...] about Opinion: Eden Hazard is probably the best player in the world right now
Hazard management
Just about managing: The unhappy parallels between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger
Jose Mourinho being denied a new centre-back is a crisis of recent provenance, but the ideological void at the heart of his Manchester United tenure has been there from the very beginning. A lack of investment from the Glazers during the late-Ferguson era and an absence of football knowledge to link boardroom and dugout are United-specific problems that precede Mourinho's arrival. They do not fully explain however, why Mourinho's United have consistently amounted to less than the sum of their parts and never more. His limitations as a coach and the diminishing returns yielded by his methodology do that. Mourinho and Arsène Wenger, the manager he relished belittling at every opportunity, may have divergent tastes in the fields of aesthetics, philosophy and ethics. They do have one thing in common however, and it is not their collection of three Premier League winner's medals. Both are (or should that be were in Wenger's case?) laissez-faire … [Read more...] about Just about managing: The unhappy parallels between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger
Southall youngsters help Chelsea star Hazard launch Asian football search
CHELSEA star Eden Hazard was joined by Southall FC youngsters to mark the launch of the Blues' Asian Star initiative. The winger took 20 British-Asian youngsters for a coaching session at Cobham on Thursday before posing for photos and signing autographs to launch the ground-breaking scheme. The event marked the launch of the sixth Asian Star programme, which is the first scheme of its kind undertaken by a professional football club and is designed to give a much-needed boost to Asian participation at all levels of the game. “It’s great to be involved in the Asian Star programme as football is for everyone,” said Hazard. “This has been a success for many years and gives dreams to children who might not have had chances like this before. “I was delighted to come and join these children as I know how important it is that the club give something back to the community and hopefully this has put a smile on their faces.” Asian Star 2014 will … [Read more...] about Southall youngsters help Chelsea star Hazard launch Asian football search
Fouled, shoved and pushed, Hazard has last laugh for Chelsea
Steve Douglas, Ap Sports Writer Updated 11:13 am PDT, Sunday, August 26, 2018 Eden Hazard was repeatedly fouled, shoved and hacked down on his first start of the season in the Premier League. On one occasion, he was even kicked off the field by a particularly crude challenge. So the Chelsea forward responded in the best way possible to being targeted with rough treatment: By scoring a goal. Hazard converted a 77th-minute penalty to set Chelsea on its way to a 2-1 win at Newcastle in an embarrassingly one-sided game at St. James' Park, and a third straight victory to open the season. The three points were only secured for Chelsea because of an 88th-minute own-goal by Newcastle defender DeAndre Yedlin, but few could begrudge Chelsea the win. And Hazard, in particular. "I feel very tired," Hazard said, with a wry smile, after being asked about his treatment by Newcastle's players. "But at the end, we won the game." Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri had suggested Hazard might … [Read more...] about Fouled, shoved and pushed, Hazard has last laugh for Chelsea
Eden Hazard, Chelsea Earn 3rd Straight Win with 2-1 Victory over Newcastle
Eden Hazard's penalty and a DeAndre Yedlin own goal helped Chelsea make it three wins from three in the Premier League by beating Newcastle United 2-1 at St James' Park on Sunday. Hazard struck from the spot after a penalty was controversially awarded when Ciaran Clark challenged Marcos Alonso in the box. Joselu equalised for the Magpies, but Alonso struck again when his shot flicked in off the unfortunate Yedlin for the winner. Hazard and Mateo Kovacic Partnership Will add New Dimension to Chelsea Attack Hazard was making his first start of the season after his exertions for Belgium at this summer's FIFA World Cup in Russia. Yet it was another player making his first start who liberated Chelsea's chief attacking force. Mateo Kovacic was selected to start the match after impressing in a cameo role during last week's 3-2 win over Arsenal. The Real Madrid loanee combined brilliantly with Hazard to add a new dimension to the Blues going forward. Specifically, the way the two … [Read more...] about Eden Hazard, Chelsea Earn 3rd Straight Win with 2-1 Victory over Newcastle