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Chelsea have found a new lease of life in a 3-4-3 formation under Antonio Conte - with the key being that their star players are finding their form.
One who is particularly thriving is Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard. A player we know can do so much, Hazard struggled last season and looked a defeated player. One of Conte’s biggest tasks when he joined the club was to get the most out of the world class Hazard, and the new formation he has implemented does just that. Hazard still has to play with discipline, but he has more of an attacking license in this formation allowing him to make the devastating difference, just as he did against Everton on Saturday evening.
The Belgian made all the difference with his two goals in the 5-0 rout against Everton, though his goals were not his only impressive contributions. His passing accuracy was a phenomenal 95%, making 56 passes in total. He attempted 5 crosses, 3 of them were accurate. He also attempted 2 long balls and both were accurate. He had 3 shots, all of which were on target and 2 resulted in goals. He also completed 2 dribbles. It was perhaps the Belgian’s best performance of the season and it really highlighted that he is back and certainly amongst the best in the Premier League when on form.
Here’s some of the reaction on Twitter.
Eden Hazard has been MOTM in his last 3 Premier League games. Best in the League.#CFC pic.twitter.com/VJGmDvDydk
— ChelseaTalk (@CheIseaTalk) November 5, 2016
Gary Lineker branding Hazard's performance today as "one of the best in Premier League history."
— ParkedTheBus (@ParkedTheBus) November 5, 2016
Hazard best in this league….. Again👌🏼✌🏼️⚽️
— Ozair (@OZ_air) November 5, 2016
Eden Hazard - 11 games, 7 goals.
Diego Costa - 11 games, 9 goals.Best duo in the league. pic.twitter.com/Gn7D58tria
— Chelsea Transfers (@CFCTransfers) November 7, 2016
If Hazard can continue this kind of form then Chelsea have a serious chance of winning the league. They will face stiff competition from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, but with players like Hazard in the team they must set their targets very high.
Hazard is a top player - but the only way he can truly be considered the best in the league is if he can consistently prove himself. The fact that last season he really struggled means that no matter how he performs this season, there will always be doubts over whether or not he is actually the very best. He’s only 25 though, and the next 5 years or so will be the prime years of his career. He has said he wants to become one of the top 5 players in the world, and I do not think that is unrealistic. So long as he keeps his ambitions high, but also plays for the team, I think he can be a great asset to the side.
