Why Eden Hazard has not been as prolific as Bale or Neymar

Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard and Neymar are considered to be some of the most talented players in the world

"I think what he's doing, speaking in a very honest way, it shouldn't even be a debate. If somebody throws other names on the table, it's because he wants to sell papers, wants to throw some sand into people's eyes, because this player is by far the best player in the Premier League all season.”

This was Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s assessment of Eden Hazard. The Belgian winger played a pivotal role in the Blues’ league title-winning campaign, starting all 38 matches in the league and being the decisive factor in several major games, whether it be winning and scoring the penalty in the win against Arsenal, the assist away to Manchester City or the decisive winner at Stamford Bridge against Manchester United. For these performances, he won the Barclays Premier League Player of the Season.

Despite his impressive performances, the statistics racked up by Hazard in the 2014/15 season are not very impressive. While it is true that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have raised the bar in this respect to an unbelievable level, Hazard’s numbers pale in comparison to those of two other young, world-class wingers – Neymar Jr. of Barcelona and Gareth Bale of Real Madrid.

The Brazilian star has scored more goals than Hazard by some distance and made only slightly fewer assists, in spite of playing almost the same number of matches. On the other hand, the 25-year-old Welshman has been much maligned by Real Madrid fans, but he too has almost the same goal-and-assist figures as the Chelsea midfielder, making 4 fewer appearances in the process.

Player	Appearances	Goals (per-game)	Assists (per-game)
Eden Hazard	52	19 ( 0.37 )	13 ( 0.25 )
Neymar	51	39 ( 0.76 )	11 ( 0.22 )
Gareth Bale	48	17 ( 0.35 )	12 ( 0.25 )

Hazard the creative outlet of Chelsea

At this point, it is imperative to understand the role of Hazard in Chelsea. “The Snake”, as he is affectionately called by Chelsea fans, does not play as an out-and-out winger or a wide forward, as his position might suggest. He is a left-sided midfielder, who has attacking, creative as well as defensive responsibilities.

The gameplay of Chelsea often involves playing the ball to Hazard, from where he engages multiple opposition players with his dribbling and thereby creates spaces for other attacking players to score or the deep midfielders like Fabregas to assist. While this is the modus operandi of Neymar and Bale as well, their respective teams do not rely as much on their playmaking abilities and instead expect them to score goals.

At Barcelona, Messi is the one who makes the game tick, while Luis Suarez is the unselfish workhorse who constantly makes runs to provide channels to run into for Neymar, who is essentially the striker among the front-three. At Real Madrid, on the other hand, a combination of the passes of Kroos and James Rodriguez, the dribbles of Isco, the crosses of Marcelo and the link-up play of Benzema allows Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale to worry about nothing else except scoring goals.

A more complete use of statistics reveals the higher use of Eden Hazard by his team as a creative outlet. Hazard made 91 key passes in 2014/15, which is more than twice that of either Neymar or Bale. Another statistic highlights the difference in attacking roles- the number of attempted shots by Hazard was considerably low in comparison to the Brazilian or the Welshman.

	Key passes (per-game)	Shots attempted (per-game)
Hazard	91 ( 2.39 )	56 ( 1.48 )
Neymar	45 ( 1.36 )	79 ( 2.39 )
Bale	40 ( 1.29 )	84 ( 2.71 )

*content courtesy of Squawka

It is, quite simply, a classic case of different roles, same positions.

While Hazard’s low number of shots may be a by-product of his creative role, it has also been a persistent trait of his game since his days at French club Lille. The Belgian often averaged one shot per game for entire seasons at Lille and whenever he has attempted more, he has scored more too.

Season	Club	Games	Goals	Assists	Shots per game
2009/10	Lille	52	10	14	1.4
2010/11	Lille	54	12	15	1.0
2011/12	Lille	49	22	25	2.8
2012/13	Chelsea	62	13	24	1.9
2013/14	Chelsea	49	17	10	2.1
2014/15	Chelsea	52	19	13	1.5

*content courtesy of Squawka, transfermarkt

Room for improvement

The above observation indicates scope for improvement in mental aspects of Hazard’s game. He has no dearth of talent, works incredibly hard for the team and maintains high fitness levels for someone playing in his position.

Too often, though, is he guilty of over-dribbling, missing the opportune moment to assist or score and then opting for a convenient side-pass. When presented with a reasonable opportunity to shoot at goal, he often hesitates and plays it safe. It is as if the player himself fears exploring his true capability, realizing his true potential, thereby becoming his own worst enemy.

What Hazard’s game needs now is a consistent showing of end-product, through an elevation in the level of ruthlessness and decision-making while making the killer final-pass or having a go at goal. More importantly, his personality now requires a tinge of selfishness and a sense of increased responsibility for being the talisman of his team, because he is the player teammates will look up to when they need a match-winner.

The future looks bright- at 24 years old, age is on Hazard’s side and his history at Lille clearly shows he became more prolific with every passing season. He possesses all the qualities to become a revered footballer for club and country- whether it be his exquisite touch, his ball-control while dribbling, his movement, his vision or his commitment.

It is now just a question of elevating his game to the next level and taking games by the scruff of the neck. Once he does that, the numbers will take care of themselves. The biggest criticism of Eden Hazard will then be laid to rest.