The Belgian turned in a woeful performance against
the also-rans of Maccabi Tel-Aviv and simply cannot be allowed to start
against Arsenal in this weekend's derby
Jose Mourinho did his job against Maccabi Tel-Aviv, and the ghost of Rosenberg past has been laid to rest for now. Crisis or no crisis Chelsea were always likely to coast to victory at Stamford Bridge and their 4-0 victory simply emphasises the complete gulf in quality between the two sides.
With Willian, – luckily, even he’ll admit – Oscar, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas all on target, this was a routine victory as Chelsea faced a team so clearly many rungs below them on the footballing ladder.
And yet Mourinho will have come away with a dilemma; he must now decide whether he will stick with his team from this victory or again wield the axe. He made six changes prior to the clash, with the likes of Costa, Nemanja Matic and John Terry all benched following the weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Everton. Eden Hazard may have played himself into significant trouble on Wednesday.
The Belgian simply was not at the races and struggled to get the better of Yuval Shpungin throughout the evening. A first-half penalty miss will be remembered and retweeted again and again – the Belgian took his eye off the ball prior to taking the kick and ballooned his effort high into the Matthew Harding Stand - but this was a performance that hinged on more than just a missed spot-kick.
The dazzling dribbling that made Hazard the best player in the country last season has deserted him, as has the clinical touch that saw him plunder 19 goals in all competitions. There were no shoulder shimmies, no jaw-dropping displays of skill; this was the performance of a player well aware of his own poor form, as he repeatedly passed up the chance to gamble in an attempt to make something happen.
Come the end of the game it mattered little, such was Chelsea’s dominance, but Hazard can ill-afford to go missing in such games under Mourinho’s management.
From the moment he skied his penalty Mourinho attempted to catch the eye of the Belgian but, like a naughty schoolchild, he simply refused to look in his manager's direction.
Taking matters into his own hands, Hazard looked to swap positions with the effective Oscar but his limitations on the night were further exposed by the Brazilian’s effervescent display. Where Oscar would dummy a defender and look to shoot, Hazard would attempt a trick and lose the ball.
And it is not just domestically where Hazard is struggling. An undisputed starter for Belgium at international level, the winger was savaged by manager Marc Wilmots after a disappointing display against Cyprus. Despite scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory, Hazard was labeled “the worst player on the pitch”, and his form has, as yet, shows no signs of improving.
"I thought about substituting him, but in the last 10 minutes he always has the ability to do that. At the World Cup, this was the case,” Wilmots said.
"I obviously expect more from him, but he will grow as the season progresses."
Mourinho will expect more too. The two have previous, and famously clashed when Hazard criticised the club’s style of play in 2014, while the Belgian was the chief protagonist in the Eva Carneiro row last month. That has still not been resolved.
On Wednesday, Mourinho again reminded onlookers that he has a flagrant disregard for reputations when it comes to picking his starting XI. Branislav Ivanovic, Matic, Terry and Costa all started the game on the bench and it would be little surprise were Hazard to be among the stiffs when Arsenal come to visit this Saturday.
The Gunners suffered a disappointing result in their Champions League clash on Wednesday as they ended their 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb with 10 men following Olivier Giroud’s sending off.
But they will surely raise their game for the upcoming derby, a game that is likely to be overshadowed by the deeply unpleasant rivalry between Mourinho and Wenger. The two men clearly do not like each other and each will be desperate to get one over the other.
Wenger will have a plan to deal with Hazard, but he should not need one, as Mourinho simply must wield his axe once more.
The Belgian may well be saved by the fact that Willian limped off on Wednesday, and that Pedro could also miss out, but Loic Remy proved his worth on the wing and Oscar is more than capable of filling in for his team-mate.
Hazard, on current form, is not good enough to get into this Chelsea side – a damning indictment given their form. Mourinho will be keener than ever to beat Wenger and, as it stands, the best way to do that is to drop Hazard.
Victory against Maccabi does not change the fact that Chelsea need to turn their domestic form around immediately. Hazard's place is under threat, and he should know as much. This performance was not good enough.
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