Why Eden Hazard’s return will be important for Chelsea against Crystal Palace

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Chelsea have undergone a resurgence under Antonio Conte and one player to benefit has been Eden Hazard. The Belgian regressed massively after winning the PFA Player of the Year award in 2015 and it looked unlikely that he would have a long-term future at Stamford Bridge. A lot of players downed tools under Jose Mourinho after the title-winning season, but the Belgian attacker was one of the main culprits. After taking over the in summer, Conte made it a priority to keep the 26-year-old at Stamford Bridge and he has been repaid with some excellent performances.

An incredible stat to emerge during the last week is that Hazard has completed 582 dribbles since making his Premier League debut in August 2012. To put that into context, the next best over that period is Raheem Sterling with 350. He has been exciting to watch in the Premier League and it is great to see him performing on a weekly basis. However, his disappointing 2015/16 season has slowed down his progress. There had been talk that he could become one of the best players in the world, with some even tipping him to compete with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

His raw dynamism and low centre of gravity mean that he is difficult to contain when he runs with the ball. The Belgian can beat opposition players using his agility and quick feet and it isn’t a surprise that he has been by far the best dribbler since arriving in England. His problem has been consistency and his drive to be the best. A player with an elite winning personality wouldn’t have stopped pushing himself in the way that Hazard did last season and it is this mentality that prevents him from competing with the very best.

Although that has been a frequent criticism of him over the last 12 months, he has gotten his career back on the right track under Antonio Conte. The Italian is one of the best coaches operating in the game currently and he was an excellent choice to lead the Chelsea revival. He has found the perfect role for Hazard as the Belgian is now utilised on the left wing of a 3-4-3, and playing ahead of Marcos Alonso means that he has the freedom to roam in the final third. It has allowed him to find his rhythm again, with the attacker scoring 11 goals and contributing four assists.

It has been an excellent season for both player and club, with another league title on the horizon. Chelsea will be back in the Champions League next year providing Hazard with a platform to push on from and challenge to be one of the best players on the continent. There have been reports linking him to Real Madrid, including one recently in Marca. He would be a good signing for the Spanish giants, but there is no reason for him to leave Chelsea. They are a club moving in the right direction under Conte and he is the star of the team. It may be too soon for him to have a similar role at a club like Madrid.

Hazard is set to return to the team this weekend after missing the last couple of matches through injury. The team are big favourites to win the league, but they will need to hold their nerve during the run-in. Crystal Palace will try to frustrate Chelsea on Saturday and that could allow Hazard to thrive. He has the ability to create space for himself and other players in attack, which may be required as space will be at a minimum in Palace’s defensive third.

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