The key areas Eden Hazard’s has improved since his woeful 2015/16 campaign

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In the 2015/16 season, Eden Hazard contributed little other than to be the punchline for a number of jokes. Now, he looks set to lead Chelsea to a second Premier League title in three years with his performances back to their magnificent best as he leads from the front for the Blues.

The Belgian didn’t even score his first Premier League goal of the season until April, whereas this season he had already beaten his final goal tally of four by the end of October. Whilst Jose Mourinho will likely take a lot of the blame for the clear difference in performances, Antonio Conte has helped the left sided forward to reach unprecedented heights with his performances.

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Shuffled around in a number of attacking roles last season – featuring as a centre forward, right winger and attacking midfielder as well as on the left flank – this season he has been able to feature in a more regular system and position, on the left side of a front three alongside Diego Costa and Pedro, with Willian also challenging and substituting in when the side is rotated.

That seems to have benefited Hazard’s game, with his skill and dribbling on show as he continues to bamboozle defenders, cutting back inside to score ten goals so far this season. Whereas last season he made 2.9 dribbles per game and 1.2 shots per game, this season he has shown marked increases on both fronts, jumping to 4.6 dribbles and 2.2 shots. That is a clear demonstration of how the 26-year-old is growing in confidence as this season goes on.

So where have these improvements come from? Partly from the increased freedom afforded to him by Antonio Conte. His defensive contribution this season hardly compares to that of last season, with his average number of tackles per game having halved, and he is yet to make a single clearance this season, showing how he has become a key figure at the attacking end for Chelsea rather than as a component in midfield.

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Partly, though, Hazard’s fitness and form has also fueled the improvements. Set to make his 25th Premier League start of the season against Swansea this weekend, by the end of February he will already have matched the number of starts that he made for the side last season.

However, if you’re looking for a negative, there is one. With eight assists in 43 games last season, he has managed just four in 28 games so far this season. That said, to call it a negative is debatable, given that his impact has clearly been as more of an attacking threat seeking to find the net, rather than help others to do so.

What’s clear is that Chelsea’s improvement and Hazard’s improvements have gone hand in hand. The form of the Belgian is not the only reason for which Antonio Conte’s team have found themselves leading the title race having languished in midtable last season, but it has been a decisive factor. Now, the challenge will be for him to maintain this form until the end of the season to help get their hands on the trophy that left Stamford Bridge last May.

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