Ronaldo Recognises Hazard's "wonderful job" At Chelsea

Eden Hazard has arguably been Chelsea's best player this season, the 23-year-old is leading Chelsea's title bid with 13 goals in the league. His scintillating performances on the pitch has brought him praise from observers, the latest recognition of his brilliance comes from former Brazil and Real Madrid forward, Ronaldo.

 “He’s a very good player and seems to be doing a wonderful job in Chelsea. His hat-trick performance [against Newcastle United] gave him more confidence. He’s very young but very talented so am sure he will do well at the World Cup.”

                                                                  -Ronaldo (RWD football)


Hazard will want to continue with his excellent form for Chelsea by helping them surge past Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday.



Do you think just like Ronaldo, Hazard will become the best player in the world at one point? 

VIDEO, ALL THE GOALS: Chelsea 4-0 Tottenham

 

Chelsea beat Tottenham convincingly at the Bridge earlier today. Goals from Samuel Eto'o, Eden Hazard and Demba Ba (2x) sealed a good day for Chelsea and their fans all over the world.

Samuel Eto'o mocked "old man" jibes with his celebration after putting Chelsea Chelsea one goal up following an erroneous pass by Jan Vertonghen.

7 - All seven of Samuel Eto'o's Premier League goals have come at Stamford Bridge. Pensioner.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 8, 2014

Chelsea 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur - All Goals by FastGamer
Eden Hazard made no mistake and sent Lloris the other way after Samuel Eto'o was brought down in the box. Demba Ba came off the bench and made his short cameo a very big deal by grabbing two late goals against 10-man Tottenham.

4 - A winning margin of four goals equals Jose Mourinho's best in the Premier League. Romp.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 8, 2014

40 - Eden Hazard has scored (22) or assisted (18) 40 Premier League goals since he joined Chelsea in 2012. Wizard.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 8, 2014

5 - Chelsea have been awarded five penalties in the Premier League this season; only Liverpool (7) have taken more. Spotty.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 8, 2014

Great performance especially in the second-half, Chelsea have now moved seven points clear at the top and Jose Mourinho will be pleased. Who was your man of the match?

VIDEO: Hazard Dazzles Against Fulham

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Like everyone else, Eden Hazard didn't have a good first half but came out of the dugout after half-time to gun down the West London whites. The Belgian bagged two great assists for Andre Schurrle first two goals.

Congratulations to @hazardeden10 who makes his 100th appearance for the Chelsea this afternoon. #CFC pic.twitter.com/k2EYdmmhHQ
— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) March 1, 2014

Classy "rabona" pass!

Eden Hazard vs Fulham Passes 47 Completed 81% In Final Third 47% Take Ons 6/8 Chances Created 8 Assists 2 #CFC #Chelsea
— EPL Stat Man (@EPLStatman) March 1, 2014

Eden Hazard might have been tired against Fulham but once again he made difference for Chelsea. It was his hundredth appearance for Chelsea and he has proven to be a big purchase by Chelsea. Whatever success Chelsea will achieve this season, central to it will be that man, Eden Hazard.

Jose Mourinho: "I Can't Rest Eden."

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Jose Mourinho has admitted he cannot afford to rest his main man, Eden Hazard even though he agrees the Belgian is in need of it. Chelsea currently sit at the top of the Premier League table. Eden Hazard's 12 goals and 6 assists shows he has been very important for Chelsea.

 “He needs a rest, It would be perfect if his national coach doesn’t play him on Wednesday. But he cannot have a rest with the club. His national team plays friendly matches, he needs a rest and they could give him a rest.”

                                                                          - Jose Mourinho

When asked if he could rest Hazard

“No I can’t. He’s important for us even if he is tired because I know he can produce things. I prefer to have him on the pitch than don’t."

                                                                             - Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho was also asked if he will tell Belgium's coach to rest Hazard.

 “I don’t do that. I respect the national coaches and they do what they want.” 

                                                                             - Jose Mourinho

 

VIDEO: Eden Hazard Leaves Pablo Zabaleta On The Floor

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Eden Hazard is one of the most skillful footballers in the world and arguably the best dribbler in the Premier League. Since he came under the spotlight, he has embarrassed a good number of defenders. Thomas Vermaelen, Rafael da Silva are just two of the players I can remember.

Pablo Zabaleta is generally believed to be the best Right full back in the league. He's a brutal defender, his dogged play meant most football fans expected a battle between he and Eden Hazard when Chelsea welcomed Manchester City. Many would have believed Zabaleta will come out on top. Eden Hazard owned Zabaleta, made him pick up a yellow card, almost got a penalty kick decision against him and left him on the floor amazingly.

  
Zabaleta was forced to do the splits, Eden Hazard has added him to his ever growing list of humiliated defenders. Hazard is on a mission, what he has done to Zabaleta will make defenders even more scared of him.

Match Preview: Manchester United Vs Chelsea

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WHEN: Monday, August 26, 2013. 20:00 UK time.

WHERE: Old Trafford, Manchester.

Chelsea's last win against Aston Villa may not have been convincing but their two wins out of two means a hundred percent record in the league. Pundits believe the Aston Villa match would have easily been a Chelsea loss some months ago. 

It will be Chelsea's and Mourinho's first match on the road this season and Manchester United's first home game at Old Trafford. The two teams have something to prove, Manchester United are defending champions and Chelsea are widely believed to be favorites this season.

A very competitive, combative and fascinating may be on the cards for either or both groups of supporters. 

TEAM NEWS

Tomas Kalas will surely miss out for Chelsea but there's doubt whether David Luiz will return. There's a possibility of Jose Mourinho handing the Brazilian a surprising start. 

Ashley Young, Luis Nani, Rafael da Silva, Darren Fletcher and Javier Hernandez are almost sure to be out for Manchester United as they are all injured.

David Moyes suggested that Chelsea's transfer target, Wayne Rooney will start against Chelsea. 

"Wayne has got a good chance of playing, he has got a good chance of starting too".

                                                                          David Moyes

TACTICAL VIEW

Manchester United are expected to play in a 4-4-2 formation. David Moyes could also opt for a 4-5-1 to boost their chance in the midfield.
                                 
                                           

Having Carrick and Cleverley in the midfield might look good enough on paper but if Chelsea play in the favored 4-2-3-1, there will be one extra midfielder to track back and help Chelsea gain control. David Moyes could then opt for one striker and allow Phil Jones sit behind Tom Cleverley and Michael Carrick, I hope he doesn't. 

Chelsea have wealth of options in the attacking midfield but still struggled to break through the Aston Villa defence. There was lack of width and all Chelsea's threat was through the middle, Aston Villa smartly crowded the middle and made it difficult for the blue boys. 

In recent matches against Manchester United, Chelsea had the most ball possession but were vulnerable on the wings. Chelsea bossed the games but Manchester United were dangerous on the counter. It will be a smart move by Jose Mourinho to play his pure wingers and give Victor Moses a rare start.

                                

Many will believe Ryan Giggs will not be hard for Ivanovic to handle but when doubled up with Patrice Evra Ivanovic could be exposed. Playing Moses on the wing will not just help nullify the opposition's threat but give Chelsea another attacking dimension too. 

I think it's the perfect time to break the Lampard-Ramires pivot combo to ensure the midfield is owned by Chelsea. Pairing Michael Essien with Ramires will give the Brazilian the chance to join the attack when opportuned and both of them can still carry out the defensive duty together. Michael Essien is also a good passer from deep and can be the rock in the Chelsea midfield.

Fernando Torres was rested against Villa which means he could be handed a start by Jose Mourinho for this one. I still strongly believe that young Romelu Lukaku should lead Chelsea's attack. The Ferdinand-Vidic partnership is a strong one in the air and on the ground, Torres might not win a single aerial battle. Lukaku's hat-trick against United last season inconsequential, the Belgian is Chelsea's best bet to get the better of Manchester United's Centre back pairing.

KEY PLAYER: EDEN HAZARD


The Belgian wizard is set to be Chelsea's focal point of attack this season with Jose Mourinho giving him a big responsibility. Eden Hazard is a brilliant player with the ball and has the ability to unsettle the opposition defence. He scored two goals against Manchester United last season in five games. The eventual result could well depend on whether Eden Hazard gets it right on Monday night. 


Chelsea bench: Mark Schwarzer, Cesar Azpilicueta, John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard, Juan Mata, Kevin De Bruyne, Fernando Torres. 

PREDICTION

Chelsea have only won two of their last five visits to Old Trafford, losing three and drawn none. Going by that, a loss seems unlikely.

Chelsea to edge the contest in reality despite domination but still win with a 3-1 scoreline. Look out for John Terry, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic.... But if Chelsea can "kill" Robin Van Persie as suggested by Marco van Ginkel, they might not be conceding any goals.

Michael Owen Hails Eden Hazard

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Former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward, Michael Owen was more than impressed with Eden Hazard's performance against Hull City and he took to twitter.

Chelsea looking sharp. Hazard is different class.
— michael owen (@themichaelowen) August 18, 2013

You are right,Michael. We all know Eden is different class, don't we?

CHELSEA'S 2013/14 SEASON PREVIEW

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Jose Mourinho is back! Yes, he’s back. Chelsea fans are still jubilant “The Special One” now “The Happy One” has returned to Chelsea. It now seems like he never even left, Feels good to have him back. It feels even more good to know he feels the same way returning here.

As expected, rival English Premier League fans are not excited about Mourinho’s return to England, they have not hidden their ill-feelings towards the world class manager.

Mourinho has something to prove at Chelsea despite the fact he's already known as one of the best we have ever seen. His fall out with Real Madrid would have multiplied his passion to win. He will be looking to make his Chelsea team unbeatable and protect his Stamford Bridge unbeaten status.

The Blues performed well during the pre-season, winning six of their seven games. They convincingly beat Italian giants, AC Milan and Inter Milan. And although they fell to a Cristiano Ronaldo led Real Madrid side, the Blues still finished strongly as they earned a hard-fought victory against Roma on Saturday night. Against Roma the blues displayed the sort of spirit every "real" team we have seen Jose Mourinho manage, the spirit to never lose or even draw but win, summarily, the spirit to never give up. They fought back and won the game at death, it was just a preseason game but the players played in the second-half like a win actually meant more than it did. 

Chelsea have done some business already this summer. The team was strong last season but squad depth was always a problem.

INs

Andre Schurrle

Marco van Ginkel

Mark Schwarzer

OUTs

Yossi Benayoun

Paulo Ferreira

Jeffrey Bruma

Ross Turnbull

Florent Malouda

Thibaut Courtios (Loan)

Patrick van Aanholt (Loan)

Oriol Romeu (Loan)

Marko Marin (Loan)

Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne were excellent on loan to West Brom and Werder Bremen respectively last season. Mourinho made the decision to keep both of them as he believes they have something to offer the team now. Both of them will be looking to repay the manager's faith in them.

Michael Essien too has returned to Chelsea too after having a solid last season with Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. Everyone knows what Michael Essien is capable of but there is little doubt about him been at his best. Essien will want to continue to give Mourinho more than enough reason to keep him in the starting eleven. 

Young defender Tomas Kalas too will be part of the squad this season according to Mourinho after spending few years on loan.

Chelsea isn’t surely done with transfers with the club in hot pursuit of England International striker, Wayne Rooney who is currently a Manchester United player. Jose Mourinho said that Chelsea will continue to try to snatch him away until the window closes. The player is rumoured to be bent on joining the West London club this summer.

The manager has also dismissed any potential departures, said he
won’t be selling any of his players. Squad depth is not a problem for Chelsea anymore.

Players To Watch

Juan Mata

The 25-year-old little Spaniard arrived at Stamford Bridge during the summer 2011 from Valencia. He made immediate impact at the club, was the club’s player of the year in his first season and won the accolade again for his last season’s exploits. 

The Chelsea play-maker has continued to go from strength to strength. Chelsea missed him against Real Madrid as there’s no one as good as him at creating chances in the team. Juan Mata has unbelievable vision and his deliveries from set pieces are excellent. 

When Mata is on the pitch and on his day Chelsea are certainly a much better team. Jose Mourinho and the fans will be looking forward to his imminent improvement on last season’s outstanding performance.

Eden Hazard

Some say he can't be stopped, we all know that he's hard to stop for the best defenders. Eden Hazard goes past you, you let him go or get booked. 

Chelsea’s 22-year-old Belgian arrived from Lille during last summer for a reported £32million after Chelsea beat Premier League rivals, Manchester United and Manchester City to his signature. He took the Premier League by storm and was MOTM in the team’s first four league matches. 

Hazard seemed to have fallen asleep at a time but he came back to life after his infamous clash with that ball boy. His combination with Mata and Oscar ripped defences apart. Hazard had a great first season and with Mourinho back at the club, he has got himself the best tutor around. Mourinho has vowed to help turn him into an even better player. Even non-Chelsea fans will be watching out for this man.

Marco Van Ginkel

At just twenty years of age, Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel was signed from Vitesse this summer. Before Chelsea’s first Pre-season match a friend of mine asked me who Chelsea’s latest signing was and I told him van Ginkel. He just laughed and asked when Chelsea would buy a star player. I smiled and told him to wait and see during the season if they already signed a star player in him (van Ginkel).

I’ve been greatly pleased with what I’ve seen from the youngster in preseason. He described himself as a box to box midfielder but Mourinho has deployed him as the holding midfielder in the pivot. He still has to improve but at the age he is, his reading of the game is excellent, he works hard defensively and contributes to the attack well too. 

Remember his name, you might be saying his
name all season. Marco van Ginkel is one to watch this season and I believe he will surprise not just every Chelsea fan but every football fan.

Verdict: Barclays Premier League Winners

You might not like Jose Mourinho but no one can deny that he's an established winner. He has won a lot since he started his managerial career, in different leagues for different teams. 

With him back at the bridge, expectations are high. How they start the season will be pivotal, but the key advantage Mourinho will have over other managers is the class he is, he is certainly in a class of his own.

I believe at the end of the season, rivals will feel right to have been shivering on hearing he's back and the fans will be feel vindicated to have celebrated Jose Mourinho's return to the club. Chelsea fans, expect success at all fronts! Remember you read that here...

Kagawa Eventually Beats Eden Hazard At Something

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Teasing headline really, trolling Manchester United fans. Manchester United midfielder, Shinji Kagawa has beaten Eden Hazard at something at last. 

The Japanese international arrived roughly at the same time with Eden Hazard in the English Premier League. Manchester United signed him for reported £16 million after missing out on Belgian play-maker, Eden Hazard.




Eden Hazard set the Premier League on fire on arrival and has been a handful for defenders, he was among the six players nominated for the PFA player of the year award. Shinji Kagawa who some believed and few still believe to be better than the Belgian is obviously a good player but was not among the better players in English football last season. Kagawa was injured for part of the time and when fit could not hold down a place in the starting eleven as opposed to Hazard who featured for Chelsea all the time.

   

Top 10 PL shirt name sales globally 2012-13: 1 RVP; 2 Rooney; 3 Kagawa; 4 Aguero; 5 Torres; 6 Hazard; 7 Suarez; 8 Wilshere; 9 Ox; 10 Cazorla
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) August 5, 2013

Fernando Torres is on the list too, Chelsea fans still support him despite all. 

Many will argue that shirt sales doesn't necessarily mean popularity. Shinji Kagawa for example is probably on the list because he's Asian, no disrespect. And you also see players on the list mainly because they are English.

Congratulations to every player on the list especially Chelsea players, Fernando Torres and Eden Hazard. Well done Shinji, you have at least beaten Eden Hazard here, keep this memory forever. 

Who Will Be Jose Mourinho's #10?

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The No 10 position is a very important position for every team that plays football, it's highly coveted too by midfielders. Different teams use their No 10 position in different ways depending on what the manager wants. 

Jose Mourinho has always used a creative, intelligent and hardworking player in this position at every club he has been. Deco at FC Porto, Frank Lampard during his first reign at Chelsea, Westley Sneijder at Inter Milan and Mesut Ozil at Real Madrid. I believe Jose Mourinho would have enjoyed working with Lampard the most, especially for the number of goals he got from Lampard. 

Jose Mourinho has already suggested that 4-2-3-1 formation will be his favourite formation, there's always tactical flexibility with Mourinho and we will surely be seeing other formations for special matches. This article will focus majorly on the 4-2-3-1 formation.

"We will play 4-2-3-1 in the first game, my favourite system, though sometimes I change the triangle and play with one in front of defenders and two players up. Other times I play with double midfielders and a No10".

                                                                    -Jose Mourinho (The Guardian)

He mentioned names of players who are going to be fighting it out for the No10 role.

"No10: De Bruyne likes it, Oscar likes it, Mata likes it, Eden Hazard likes it. The 4-2-3-1 is a natural system for all these players to play".

                                                                     -Jose Mourinho (The Guardian)

Jose Mourinho was talking about Juan Mata and his plans for him yesterday.

"Of course he fits into my plans, I have my idea about him, about where he produces better and where he has more difficulty. We will try to help him perform better in those situations. I've always liked a right-sided player to be left-footed. I started with Robben and Duff, then Pandev at Inter and Di Maria and Ozil. Many clubs do it. It's more than a tendency."

                                                                   -Jose Mourinho

That leaves us with three choices for the No10, De Bruyne, Oscar and Eden Hazard. 

"I like wingers coming in on the inside for the penetrative movement, for the pass, for the shot. And Juan is the only player we have on the right. On the left, we have Hazard, Victor Moses, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre Schurrle".

                                                                      -Jose Mourinho (The Guardian)

Eden Hazard's name coming first among the names on the left is far from coincidental, he owns that spot. Hazard is going to feature most where he has been playing for Chelsea, on the left. 

We now have two names left in the No10 contention, Oscar and Kevin De Bruyne. Jose mentioned the two of them first anyway. It's good to see that Mourinho isn't considering Oscar on any of the wings. 

Oscar Dos Santos is a very talented footballer, intelligent and creative. He is a good passer of the ball, can play killer passes from the No10 position where he regularly plays for the Brazil national team. Oscar scores beautiful goals and can hit the ball with both feet with a strange technique. His 12 goals for Chelsea is last season is a good number for first season. When Chelsea fans hear his name they remember that great goal against Buffon the UCL last season. Like every player Oscar can have his off-day too but his major weakness is his lack of physicality, he can be occasionally bullied off the ball. Jose Mourinho's training sessions will surely help with Oscar's physicality.

                                     

                                           

Kevin De Bruyne spent last season on loan at Werder Bremen where he featured in many positions. He was their best player and one of the best in the whole German Bundesliga and made the team of the season. Kevin De Bruyne is a good passer of the ball (he may not be better than Oscar), his deliveries are excellent from set-pieces and he's probably the best crosser of the ball in the team. De Bruyne has great work rate (probably greater than Oscar). Those who have been watching De Bruyne since his time at Genk will know he takes pleasure in scoring screamers, we saw the excellent goal he scored on the Asia tour. He was brilliant for Chelsea during the Asia tour, fans were scared when he got injured and everyone is pleased he will be back. He scored 10 goals for Bremen last season. De Bruyne is a complete player, no physicality problems. He may not be able to do what others can do well as well as them both he can at least do all.

I believe form and opposition will determine who takes this No10 spot between Oscar and De Bruyne as both are quality players. Chelsea are in an enviable position having two young, talented players battling for this position.

Both Kevin De Bruyne and Oscar dos Santos have the potential to be great. Competition will only help to bring out the best from both of them and that can only be good for the club.

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