Chelsea can't trust Eden Hazard

Chelsea must realize they can’t rely on Eden Hazard

Chelsea fans hoped that Eden Hazard had permanently shaken off the stink of last year’s poor season. Unfortunately for the faithful at Stamford Bridge, it reared its ugly head again yesterday against Arsenal.

Hazard wasn’t the only Chelsea star who failed to show up against the Gunners, but he was the most talented no-show. There’s a reason that Antonio Conte elected to haul him off the pitch after 71 minutes of action. That reason, of course, was the fact that Hazard was playing like a dog.

At this point in time, no one should be all that surprised when the talented Belgian pulls a disappearing act. It’s more the rule rather than the exception. He just isn’t someone who’s going to bring maximum effort every time he steps onto the pitch.

That harsh reality will prevent him from ever joining the highest level of the world’s superstars. He can’t ascend to the realm of Messi and Ronaldo without developing that supreme competitive edge. Instead, he’ll remain in a lesser tier with players who can be exceptional on their day, but can’t put it together on a consistent basis.

Want your voice heard? Join the Playing for 90 team!

His propensity to disappear in big matches has pretty significant consequences for his club. Chelsea must move on from the idea that they can reach their goals with Hazard as their attacking star. Instead, they need to regard him as the luxury player that he is. The sooner that happens, the better off the Blues will be.

What that means in practical terms for Chelsea, is that they need to purchase additional attacking talent. They can no longer afford to count on Hazard as the potential centrepiece of their goal scoring plans.

It does not, however, mean that Chelsea need to panic and sell Hazard, or drop him from their starting XI. His prodigious talent still merits consistent match time. The Blues just need to do a better job of having a legitimate Plan B. Pedro is not sufficient cover for a star who goes missing so often.

Eden Hazard is always going to display flashes of brilliance at Chelsea. The club need to stop being seduced by those moments of real quality though. Instead, they must accept the fact that he can’t be trusted. He’s a high-priced luxury player, not a consistent force that can be trusted when it matters most.