The players who are not performing as much as you say are not on the Hazard level so we can kinda understand that. But we are on about a so called top top player. People talk about Hazard like his sh*t doesn't stink, so when he isn't performing up to these high standards he's apparently got, folk are entitled to get on him. He's done alright this year, but for a man of such high quality he also been very average in other games, and been almost nonexistent. Too many folk are way too high on this guy. Talented player for sure we all know that. Way too inconsistent. Hopefully his form improves, because at the moment Kante and Willian along with the amazing, untouchable Alonso are the ones making the plays going forward. 

Never slated Willian once before you go off on a tangent. 

And slojo, you know who the fickle ones are. I can recall Scott Harris giving a player some(might have been Willian) then loving him the next. Too many fickle as I indeed said after the Matic love when he scored against Palace. 

Edited March 18, 20188 yr by Famous CFC

6 hours ago, Famous CFC said:

The players who are not performing as much as you say are not on the Hazard level so we can kinda understand that. But we are on about a so called top top player. People talk about Hazard like his sh*t doesn't stink, so when he isn't performing up to these high standards he's apparently got, folk are entitled to get on him. He's done alright this year, but for a man of such high quality he also been very average in other games, and been almost nonexistent. Too many folk are way too high on this guy. Talented player for sure we all know that. Way too inconsistent. Hopefully his form improves, because at the moment Kante and Willian along with the amazing, untouchable Alonso are the ones making the plays going forward. 

Never slated Willian once before you go off on a tangent. 

And slojo, you know who the fickle ones are. I can recall Scott Harris giving a player some(might have been Willian) then loving him the next. Too many fickle as I indeed said after the Matic love when he scored against Palace. 

If you look at the comments without trying to find any context behind them, then sure, it would look fickle. I have criticised him in the past because the level he is playing at now is something that should have been the norm throughout Willian's career with us, now that we are finally seeing it, of course i am going to praise him, but i have also said that he now needs to continue with this going forward. That isn't fickle. Fickle would be me saying Willian has never been good enough or had the talent to play for us, and then saying he is brilliant and should be player of the year because of a few months of good football.

 

When he's out of form Eden don't half stink up the joint. 

Been pretty poor for a few weeks now and looks almost unmotivated and lazy. 

Maybe the international break will help refresh him and he'll kick on with some big performance up to the end of the season. 

Maybe hes just playing out the season and is lacking motivation.

He has played 22 games, not the most yet has been injured for the first few matches. He has carried the team a lot and been played out of position as the central striker and taking some heavy knocks.

The only players that have played more games are Courtois, Kante,  Azpi and Alonso.

I kind of think he might be due a rest.............

http://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/2017.htm

He looks disinterested and doesn't want to play just finishing the season

11 hours ago, Famous CFC said:

The players who are not performing as much as you say are not on the Hazard level so we can kinda understand that. But we are on about a so called top top player. People talk about Hazard like his sh*t doesn't stink, so when he isn't performing up to these high standards he's apparently got, folk are entitled to get on him. He's done alright this year, but for a man of such high quality he also been very average in other games, and been almost nonexistent. Too many folk are way too high on this guy. Talented player for sure we all know that. Way too inconsistent. Hopefully his form improves, because at the moment Kante and Willian along with the amazing, untouchable Alonso are the ones making the plays going forward. 

Never slated Willian once before you go off on a tangent. 

And slojo, you know who the fickle ones are. I can recall Scott Harris giving a player some(might have been Willian) then loving him the next. Too many fickle as I indeed said after the Matic love when he scored against Palace. 

I've agreed with you on Hazard to a certain extent, I just don't think he's way too overhyped or overrated. My argument is that he doesn't do enough for a player of his calibre. When I watch Hazard play and see the things he's capable of I know he has that hidden potential. He can dribble past defenders with ease, he just doesn't do it enough. He can score from anywhere, he just doesn't shoot enough. He can get himself in great positions, but he'll look for the pass rather than the shot and overplay his hand until its rendered useless, it's like a lack of instincts. You had Salah skip past 3 Watford defenders and score a goal, why doesn't Hazard try that? He's capable of these very things but he really lacks that intent. I honestly believe Klopp would get a lot out of Hazard if he was at Liverpool and it hurts me to say that.

I think people are understandable fickle with Willian, I criticised people slating him earlier in the season because he's a good squad player and he goes through patches. But he also took a holiday through a crucial part of the season, now he's firing again. I can't remember Scott going overboard though.  

Edited March 19, 20188 yr by Slojo

3 hours ago, ForeverCarefree said:

When he's out of form Eden don't half stink up the joint. 

Been pretty poor for a few weeks now and looks almost unmotivated and lazy. 

Maybe the international break will help refresh him and he'll kick on with some big performance up to the end of the season. 

 I thought yesterday he either looked very tired...or more worryingly completely disinterested.

I noticed he did a fair bit of defensive work yesterday that I would normally not expect even bring down Mahrez at one point.

Remember Hazard didn't have a pre-season because of his broken ankle and didn't play his first game until late September. It's not unusual for players to start flagging late-on in the season when their fitness levels haven't been 100% from the off.

Been watching him for years now, and willing to give him the benefit of doubt and not accuse him of being lazy etc.

Another bad match Eden. Man up!

6 hours ago, dkw said:

 I thought yesterday he either looked very tired...or more worryingly completely disinterested.

My take on it too, he's not looked at it since the City game. Possibly could be carrying an injury though you'd expect him to withdraw from the international squad if this was the case.

Lazy, arrogant, feckless, is what he was against Leicester. 

I just kept thinking of that cracking goal against Arsenal he scored a while back, running past about 6 of their players and calmly slotting it past Cech. 

Where has that Hazard gone? I have a feeling he has downed tools already, until we sell him in the summer 

He certainly was disappointing last night, but he’ll turn up with a great performance again soon. He’s just inconsistent sometimes, that’s all it is imo.

The international break cant come soon enough. Hope he and Willian and can hammer the Spurs.

We should safe, madrid won't want him, they'll be sniffing for Neymar, Kane, or Sarah, huge bucks for big Cheeses...

Thank goodness for Salah eh? He has totally taken the limelight off Hazard and hopefully that means he will stay.

2 hours ago, dansubrosa said:

Thank goodness for Salah eh? He has totally taken the limelight off Hazard and hopefully that means he will stay.

Certainly a revelation and likely to break Liverpool hearts should he accept an offer this summer.

1 minute ago, Strider6003 said:

Certainly a revelation and likely to break Liverpool hearts should he accept an offer this summer.

Oh my heart bleeds for them........

Not looked interested in a while. If he can’t show up against the dirty y*ds then I wonder if he is actually Chels deep down. The old guard wouldn’t put in a lazy performance like this lot. 

He was playing a mostly safe and simple game today, he was effective but what he did I expect a decent midfielder to be able to do. With his ability he should be running the show.

 

Form has completely dropped off. The problem is that when his form goes, the whole team falls apart. That shows how much we rely on him.

2 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

Form has completely dropped off. The problem is that when his form goes, the whole team falls apart. That shows how much we rely on him.

This started after the Man City humiliation not just the humiliation of us in that game but the humiliation of Hazard by his manager. 

He is a problem. Not really productive enough to be the main threat in a teams offense but also demands the ball too much to be sidelined for another player. The argument is that his lack of decisiveness in the final third (Comparative to other players in his position that he is competing against) is made up by his ability to be the central hub of a teams offensive structure. This doesn't really work though when he takes up one of the offensive spots within the team where we need players who are decisive.

If you look at Real Madrid as the extreme example a few years ago (Not Barcelona because Messi is a GOAT and kind of an anomaly to look at). They played 4-3-3 with Ronaldo-Benzema-Bale. All three of those players scored over 15 league goals in their best season and were regular goalscorers in all competitions. They had Ronaldo as the main goalscorer who did nothing to try and dictate the teams play, he waited in the final third to be decisive and make assists/goals. Because he is a ridiculously good player, Ronaldo's goal tally was insane even for the main offensive threat of a team. As such, Benzema would drop deeper and would involve himself more in the structure of the teams play. However, as one of the three offensive players he still retained the purpose of being decisive, which meant he played as the secondary offensive threat and scored 20+ League goals a season. Bale, when he was brought in, was not as good as Ronaldo, thus his time in the final third was reduced compared to Ronaldo's and he scored quite a bit less goals then Ronaldo but still a healthy amount (19/20 league goals). This is an extreme example but one that is applied to most teams.

  The more important a player is, the more time they get on the ball relative to their teammates on the ball. When your main player is an offensive player, the majority of your offensive play goes towards them. When they take up one of the three main goalscoring positions, where their main effect has to be in the final third, the main player has to be the most productive player in the team. If your main player is not the most productive player then your attacks are spending most of their time with a player that is not producing as much as another player can. That's a problem especially within a 3 man attack like in the 4-3-3 or the 3-4-3 as the burden of productivity upon the wide players in a one striker system is much higher. If one player in that trio is not producing at a high rate but is spending most of the time on the ball, it increases the burden of productivity even more on the other two forwards in a lower amount of time.

If a player plays like Hazard, the best place for them is in midfield. See Iniesta, Isco, Silva etc. This then frees up another spot within the team in the forward area for another player that is more productive and who can better utilize the time they are given within the final third. A midfield player in a 4-3-3 not having to get goals is good and it is actually better for the team when a player like Hazard, who wants to control the structure of a teams attacks, is played centrally where they can do so. The problem is, no manager will ever play Hazard in midfield because he lacks in 2 vital areas: 

1. Defensive workrate - He doesn't defend and wont defend. It will massively unbalance the shape of the team with him pottering about like a fool.

2. Tactical awareness - Midfield is the most tactically demanding area of the pitch. Hazard does not have the ability to take in tactical instruction and execute it effectively. He will end up wondering around aimlessly like he tends to do, searching for the ball as much as possible without interest in the teams shape or stability. 

Personally, I would try Hazard in midfield for a while if I was the next manager and see if I could get something from him there because his playing style lends itself to a midfield role. He is just a bit of a lazy bastard who hates hard work though.