Antonio Conte took charge of Chelsea over the summer, which would have been extremely exciting for those loyal fans in West London. The passionate Italian shown his tactical prowess and genius whilst managing his country during the European Championships. He definitely came to the Premier League with high hopes.
With a solid squad already in place, it was up to Conte to boost morale, whilst bringing in a couple of new faces to put a bit of pressure on their star performers. Perhaps the biggest job for the 47-year-old was working on getting a certain Belgian back into form.
Chelsea Football Club must have been extremely concerned with the form of Eden Hazard on the pitch last season. He looked bereft of confidence, lacking in that quality we all know he has, and in all honesty, he just didn’t look like he wanted to play football. However, he has started this campaign like a house on fire.
In his first couple of games, the 25-year-old winger shown glimpses of the form we became accustomed to in the 2014/15 campaign, as he glided past his markers in typical Hazard fashion. He also managed to find the back of the net in his first outing against West Ham, albeit from the penalty spot.
Eden Hazard’s third game of the season came at home to Burnley, and this will be the fixture where his rise back to the top really came to fruition. From the first minute, the Belgian was giving the Clarets’ back-line a real torrid time as he began to dissect their defenders throughout.
Then came the moment of the match before the tenth minute. Eden Hazard picked up the ball, beat a couple of Burnley players with his brilliant dribbling ability before coolly passing the ball past Tom Heaton in goal from twenty yards out.
With eighty minutes left on the clock, Hazard’s ability continued to shine through as his Chelsea side added another couple of goals before the final whistle went, and the man himself can certainly count himself unlucky to not get himself on the score-sheet for a second time.
It was truly outstanding to witness the attacker put in a performance of the highest order once again. We all know he has the pedigree for it, and when the confidence is flowing, there aren’t many better than Eden Hazard.
As a whole, the Chelsea fans must be rubbing their hands together at the thought of an Eden Hazard back to his brilliant best. The Belgian won the Premier League Player of the Year Award in the season before last, and if he can rediscover that form, Antonio Conte’s men will certainly be challenging for the title come May.
Featured Image: All rights reserved by Thomas Richards.