The situation
Eden Hazard showed green shoots at Celtic Park, but since then he has regressed again and with each passing week it seems that he falls further behind in the battle to return to being what he was , to recover the version that Real Madrid went looking for Chelsea in the summer of 2019, paying 100 million euros despite only having one year left on his contract, with the conviction that he was signing a total attacker who had just reached full potential. His ankle problems, the result of Meunier’s entry into a Madrid-PSG game in November 2019, weighed him down during his first three seasons in white. At the end of last year, the titanium plate in his ankle was removed, which was supposedly the source of his problems , and the general opinion in Madrid was to perceive a significant improvement in his performance. Without pain, the best Hazard could be close, something that he himself anticipated in the celebrations of the 14th Champions League in Cibeles, addressing the fans: “It’s been three years with injuries and problems, but next season I’m going to give everything for you”. This course Ancelotti had reserved the position of ‘nine’ for him when Benzema is missing (on the left, while Vinicius is there, he knows it will be difficult) and at Celtic Park, after the Frenchman’s injury, he more than fulfilled: goal and assist. But he was shipwrecked against Mallorca and against Leipzig and Atleti Ancelotti gave himself up to Rodrygo, who has shown greater ease for that position . And in this context Hazard came to the Belgian team, his particular oasis, but where he also fails to stand out.
The details
He started in the Nations League match against Wales and also played for his favorite position, the left winger, although Roberto Martínez’s lane system allows him to mix wing actions with others inside, appearing a lot as an improvised midfielder or even midfielder. But the 63 minutes he was on the field left little to report: a deflected shot that was not even between the sticks, another bounced off an opponent and a pass to De Bruyne so that he, from the edge of the field, hit the post . He made way for Mertens at game time, aware that, despite the fact that Martínez had given him the starting job expecting a vindictive performance, he had barely influenced the match.