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Eden Hazard has struggled to make an impact all season with ChelseaLast season, Eden Hazard had everything going for him. A Premier League trophy, a League Cup, the PFA Player of the Year award, two Chelsea Player of the Year awards and 19 goals in all competitions. Fate then intervened and had other plans for him in 2015/16.We are now in February and Hazard has scored just one goal in 32 games – a penalty in the FA Cup against Championship side MK Dons. The Belgian forward has been more of a liability this season – first under Jose Mourinho and, now, under Guus Hiddink. An ill-timed interview just before the Round of 16 has almost affirmed that he could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge this summer. So will he stay or go? And who will take him?
#1 Join Zidane at Real Madrid
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The fact that Zinedine Zidane is a huge admirer of Hazard is no secret. And now that he has been confirmed as Real Madrid’s manager until 2018 after he signed a two-and-a-half year contract suggests that he will be given at least a full season to bring in players of his choosing and build his own team.
“Of course, Zinedine Zidane gets you interested,” Hazard had said. “He was my idol when he was a player and he’s been saying good things about me for a long time.”
That quote rings true. The Real Madrid legend had said last year when Hazard’s struggles began: “I have no doubts he’ll be back. After Messi and Ronaldo, Hazard is my favourite player. It is spectacular to see him play.”
While FIFA’s suspended transfer ban still looms over their heads, appeals might allow the Spanish club to sign players in the summer and reinforce their squad. Barcelona survived a year with the ban in effect and won a treble, thanks in part to the arrival of Luis Suarez before the ban to complete the attacking triumvirate that is ‘MSN’ (Messi, Suarez and Neymar).
Florentino Perez will look to do the same while simultaneously relying on his so called philosophy of signing Galacticos. With Cristiano Ronaldo getting slower on the wings, one might be tempted to bring him into the centre. Meanwhile, James Rodriguez has also failed to impress in his second season and is slowly becoming a fringe player, getting games mainly due to the absence of an injured Gareth Bale.
Hazard needs a manager to have faith in him and Zidane could be that figure who gives him the nudge in the right direction – one who allows him to express himself on the pitch. Not someone like Jose Mourinho who pushes players to the limit and then drags them along with the rest of a weary squad.
#2 Move back to Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain
“It is difficult to say no to PSG, or to any of the teams capable of winning the Champions League. PSG are now in that category. And for me, winning the Champions League is my main aim.”
Those were the words said by Hazard a day before Chelsea faced PSG in the Champions League. Although he did go on to say that he still had a contract till 2020, the damage was done.
Hazard is no stranger to flirting with top clubs in Europe. Before his move to Chelsea from Ligue 1 club Lille, he was linked with every Champions League club imaginable. Apart from reported links with the big two from La Liga, both Manchester City and Manchester United wanted him until he tweeted his final choice – Chelsea.
Club owner Roman Abramovich had convinced him to join and Hazard had also said: “I want to be playing in the Champions League every year.” That looks tough at this point unless the Blues win the Champions League.
On the other hand, PSG have obliterated teams in Ligue 1 and only the Champions League poses a suitable challenge – the final frontier to be conquered for Laurent Blanc’s side. It couldn’t be an easier decision for Hazard if Chelsea are knocked out.
Blanc has also spoken of his admiration for Hazard before. “A player who can eliminate three, four players at any time a game is something else,” he had once said when Hazard was a PSG target. “We do not know what to expect with these players. They destabilise the opponent.”
But he will have to work his socks off at PSG to compete with the likes of Angel Di Maria and Lucas Moura to get a spot in the starting lineup. If he does indeed join the French giants, PSG will be a force to be reckoned and could easily move past the quarter-finals stages in Europe where they have fallen all three times in the last three years.
#3 Stay at Chelsea
This might be the toughest option for the 25-year-old Belgian. At this point of the season, the only way Chelsea can play in the Champions League next season is if they win the title like they did in 2012. And with PSG leading the tie 2-1, the probability of Chelsea going all the way has reduced. Even if they do advance, stronger sides await.
Guus Hiddink’s side look highly unlikely to claim a top-four spot in the Premier League. They are currently 14 points away from Manchester City, who occupy the fourth spot, with 12 games left.
The Blues’ form has improved ever since Mourinho departed Stamford Bridge. Under Hiddink, they were undefeated until PSG beat them 2-1 in the first leg. In domestic games in all competitions, they are undefeated in 11 but six of those were draws.
At this stage, what is a bigger concern is who will be Chelsea’s new manager next season. Reports suggest it could be Diego Simeone. If Hazard is uncomfortable with his aggressive, hell-for-leather style of play, expect him to take the easy way out and join the highest bidder.
A top Premier League club can survive a year without Champions League, just like Manchester United did after David Moyes’ ill-fated reign. But will Hazard be willing to take that fall? The fact of the matter is that he must do so to win back not only his fans but also his reputation.
“First he must get fit and show he is a top player,” Hiddink said. “And then for Chelsea, which is a top club, he can be of huge value.” That was a thinly-veiled word of caution to a player who had overstepped his boundaries during that interview and a reminder that he would not be treated as a star unless he proved himself.
Against PSG, he did nothing to earn that respect. Hazard was arguably the worst Chelsea player on the pitch and was taken off with 20 minutes to go. If he does not manage to get the fans back in his corner in the final third of the season, his future at the Bridge will be in jeopardy.
