The 2015/16 Premier League campaign will be remembered through a series of truly contrasting images for Eden Hazard. All throughout the season, the Chelsea wingman struggled with his form, and shots of him looking dejected in the blue of the London club were a regular recurrence.
Spending a campaign of disappointment with the outgoing champions, Hazard wasn’t able to hit the heights he was used to perching atop but that didn’t stop him taking to the field in an effort to stave off his frightful stretch. The performances never really arrived for the Belgium international and he quickly lost sight of redeemable form.
Trending
Then, with a swing of his boot against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on May 2, he ended all talk of a title race by scoring a magnificent goal to secure a 2-2 draw and hand Leicester City the title in the most dramatic of fashions.
In the blink of an eye, the 25-year-old went from under-performing conundrum to game-changing bolt from the blue. It might not have been the sort of influence he would have liked to have had over this season’s title destination, but it hinted that the fire within him could still be stoked to life.
So, just where did it all go wrong for the usually vibrant wide player and will he be able to avoid stagnating on the bench next season?
Hazard’s head was not in the right place for long periods
On the face of it Hazard looked off the boil, uncomfortable on the ball and distracted around the field. His performances lacked fizz and faith in himself and he struggled to play with any sense of self.
Time and again, he came under scrutiny for a lack of mentality and an inability to shake off his poor form. What started as a blip was quickly becoming an unstoppable trend and it stayed with the Blues player for months. He wasn’t the only star to burn out, however, and his supernova status quickly garnered widespread attention from all quarters of the press.
Regularly, he failed to fashion opportunities for himself and those around them, and he looked lost. Where he would have once taken on defenders with a view to having a shot on goal or slipping Diego Costa through with a killer pass, he was quickly running into cul-de-sacs, going nowhere in possession and missing golden opportunities.
By the time Christmas 2015 had rolled into view, it was clear that he was lacking in confidence. Some mused that it could have been something to do with Jose Mourinho’s dressing room persona, but even following the Portuguese supremo’s departure, Hazard continued to disappoint so it must have been something else. Other reasons cropped up regarding transfer speculation and increased pressure to perform amidst a team implosion.
Getting under the surface of a modern-day professional footballer is something many frustrated fans would love to do when they see their favourite performer falling by the wayside, but some mysteries are supposed to remain unsolved and it was a puzzle that continued to flummox for the entire league campaign as Hazard managed just three league goals. Perhaps it was just a natural slump that only time could heal?
Club’s inconsistencies depleted his dynamic displays
While his deficiency in confidence certainly hampered him, he wasn’t the only player on the team playing poorly and that certainly got in the way of his own personal dip in form.
In the early stages of the season, the Pensioners had the look and feel of a team who had never played together as a unit. They almost resembled a newly-promoted outfit as they picked up just three wins from their opening 12 league games. They were maddening to watch for Chelsea supporters and Hazard was quickly identified (unjustly) as the go-to scapegoat.
If things weren’t going well, it was the Belgian trickster who most went after to hold to account. As time passed, the familiarity of Hazard’s spiral into mediocrity became all too numbing for anybody watching.
Nevertheless, people seemed to forget that he wasn’t alone in how off-key he was and there were more than a few rumblings of discontent among the squad. What had worked before simply wasn’t functioning anymore. Their double-pivot of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic was failing and that was having a knock-on effect on the rest of the team’s synergy. Spending more time defending than on the attack, they couldn’t break out the way they had done on course to winning the title.
Jose Mourinho couldn’t find a cure for the club’s ailments and yet it was Hazard who took the blame.
Even the arrival of Guus Hiddink couldn’t get the 2015 PFA Player of the Year winner motoring again – and it took him until their clash against AFC Bournemouth to score his first league goals of the term as he netted a double. There and then, the promise had reared its alluring face. Could he reignite his form in time for the European Championship this summer in France?
What next for the former PFA award-winner?
This time last year, Hazard was one of the most sought-after players in world football, and there had been transfer talk building of when, not if, he was going to join Real Madrid. After all, he had netted 14 league goals while also accumulating 9 assists that campaign. The more Mourinho talked him up, the more likely it seemed Los Merengues would make their move, but it never materialised and he wound up staying on at the London club.
Speculation still lingers as to whether or not he’ll jump ship and that will probably remain the case throughout the summer, so he will have to do a lot of soul-searching between now and then. Right now, though he will be focusing on preparing for the Euros and if he manages to remain fixated on that without dwelling on his flop of a season, he could light up L’Hexagone in a few weeks.
That really is the most important thing – to put the past 10 months behind him, chalk it down to experience and look to rediscover his love for the game. If he wants to join an exclusive club of Mark Hughes, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in being the only players to win the award twice, he will need to rediscover l’amour that has been so very lacking in recent months.
When he’s on song, he really is unplayable and although that sounds like something an apologist of his might say, the truth is that he is an innately magical footballer who has the capacity to turn a game on its head in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps he’ll reappear as one of the league’s big players with a killer perspective. Let’s not forget that while some have touted his decline as unprecedented, and a warning to the likes of current PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez, another way to look at it is that this has all been an uncharacteristic ebb and he should come back as strong as he was before. Let’s wait and see.
