Showing posts with label Hazard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hazard. Show all posts

Sunday, 19 August 2012

Hazard not getting carried away after impressive Premier League debut for Chelsea


Chelsea's £32 million attacker, Eden Hazard, is refusing to get carried away following a dream debut for the Blues in their first Premier League match of the season, a 2-0 win at Wigan on Sunday.

 The former Lille man laid on Branislav Ivanovic’s opening goal at the DW stadium, and then won a penalty which was converted by Frank Lampard.

 He was substituted midway through the second half for fellow new signing Oscar and, despite impressing both Lampard and his manager, Roberto Di Matteo, the 21-year-old says that he still has parts of his game to improve on.

 "There are still things to perfect," he told reporters . "In the second half, I lost important balls. At the start of the match, it was very good. "That's what's demanded of me: being decisive.

 It's very good and I hope it continues like that." Hazard will be looking to continue his impressive start to his Chelsea career when the Blues visit newly-promoted Reading in midweek.

Monday, 6 August 2012

Di Matteo warns Chelsea fans not to expect too much from £32m playmaker Hazard


Roberto Di Matteo has told Eden Hazard he will be given time to adjust to the rigours of the Barclays Premier League.

 Chelsea's £32million summer signing from Lille is expected to make big waves given his seismic fee but the 21-year-old will not be rushed. 'Of course we are looking for Eden to be incisive - but we have to be patient,' said Di Matteo.

 'He is a young man, he has come from a different league in France and we need to give him time to adapt.'

 The Champions League winners have bolstered their squad by picking up, in addition to the Belgian playmaker, Marko Marin and Oscar.

 The way Chelsea played in the run-up to their Champions League final triumph is unsustainable over the period of the season - the side rode their luck on several occasions.

 But Di Matteo insists the influx of players will not result in a big difference in the style of play. 'There will not be radical changes. We will try to make some changes,' he said.

 'With the integration of these new players, inevitably we will change how we play a bit.

 But I never said we were going to play attacking football. We will play to try and win games.'

Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Hazard brothers eager for time together


Eden Hazard is hoping to play alongside his brother Thorgen sooner rather than later at Stamford Bridge.

 The 19-year-old has immediately linked up with the Blues’ under-21 side following his move from French Ligue 2 side Lens, while the senior side regain their fitness on a pre-season tour of the United States.

 There are plenty of similarities in the way the two have established themselves as professional footballers, but the 32 million pounds signing claims their playing styles are anything but alike.

 "My brother is not the same as me because he is not someone who dribbles a lot," he told the official Chelsea website.

 "He is more someone who has a passing game in midfield. He can play on the wings also but his best position is in central midfield, a number 10.

 "Despite both of us having been at Tubize, we have never played in the same team, so I hope I can play soon alongside my brother in the national team and also for Chelsea."

 The pair have seemingly always been destined for professional football, with their father a former player and their mother playing at the highest domestic level in Belgium, so feedback on their performances has never been an issue.

 "I had my father as a coach for one year and he also followed me after that but not as a coach, more as a fan," the 21-year-old continued. "It was really after the game that he was talking, saying what was good about my game and what wasn't."

 And the duo may not be the only members of the Hazard clan on the world footballing scene in the near future, with younger brothers Kylian and Ethan already setting out on the same career path.

 "One plays in the youth team at Lille and the other plays in Belgium, but he is still very young, he is enjoying football for the first time so we shall see," Eden said.

 As for sibling rivalry between the four, Eden jokes it will eventually come down to silverware to determine who really was the best player out of the four. “We will see at the end of our careers. We will see who has won the most trophies," he said.

Friday, 6 July 2012

Hazard anticipates Chelsea success


New Chelsea signing Eden Hazard says he has his work cut out to gain a place in the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge.

 The Belgium international completed a 32 million-pound move from Lille in June after prolonged speculation over who he would decide to sign for, with both Manchester United and Manchester City also targeting the young playmaker.

 But it was Roberto Di Matteo's team who captured the 21-year-old's signature, and Hazard knows he will have to work hard to earn a starting berth in west London.

 "I am completely aware that I am going to have to fight for my place, I can't take anything for granted," he told the club's official club magazine.

 "However, ultimately, I think this is a club where I can have a lot of success and win trophies.

 It looked likely for a long time the attacking midfielder was edging toward a move to one of the Manchester clubs, but Chelsea's victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final proved decisive for Hazard.

 "I was fortunate enough to get a taste of the Champions League last year, although things didn't turn out as well as they might have done because I thought Lille could have gone further in the competition," he said, referring to his team's group-stage exit.

 "But now, I find myself here, playing for a club that has not only appeared in the Champions League every year in recent times, but is also the current holder of the trophy."

Friday, 22 June 2012

All you need to know about Chelsea's new boy


Eden Hazard's rise over the past couple of years has been meteoric, with the Belgian starlet undergoing a remarkable transformation from precocious Lille youngster to Ligue 1 sensation and one of the most sought after players in Europe.

 The fleet-footed attacking midfielder/winger has drawn comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but perhaps the greatest compliment has been the willingness of the Belgian press to proclaim that Hazard has what it takes to fill the enormous boots left by the legendary Enzo Schifo.

 Born into a footballing family, Hazard's youth career took in Belgian sides Royal Stade Brainois and Tubize before he settled at Lille as a 14-year-old in 2005.

 Two years later, and the teenage prodigy had made his debut in the French top flight, going on to make a handful of substitute appearances in the 2007-08 season.

 The following campaign was a real breakthrough year though, as he went from impact sub to first-team talisman in the space of a few months - with his sparkling performances earning him an international debut for Belgium and the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year Award. 

 The plaudits continued to roll in last season and Hazard was tied down to a new four-year contract with Lille in an attempt to stave off interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs.

 With five league goals and eight assists, Hazard became his side's creator-in-chief and his influential displays, coupled with Europa League goals against Genoa, Gent and a winner against Liverpool, saw his reputation continue to grow around the continent. 

 Hazard's start to the 2010-11 campaign was a troubled one as he was publicly criticised by Belgium national team coach Georges Leekens, who accused him of being lazy in training, and he was also dropped by Lille coach Rudi Garcia. 

He didn't start a league game for Lille until November but has now re-established himself as an integral member of the first-team, causing a number of Europe's big clubs to show an interest, with Chelsea sealing his signature in the summer of 2012.

 Strengths: A defender's nightmare, Hazard can dribble at pace and, like Lionel Messi, he is 5ft 7in and has a low centre of gravity that helps him breeze past opposition players. He has an eye for the spectacular and has scored some memorable solo efforts.

 Weaknesses: Hazard's work-rate has questioned by his club and national team bosses, so much so that Lille coach Rudi Garcia dropped him earlier this season in a bid to spark him back into life.

 His strike-rate is also somewhat erratic and while he creates plenty of goals for others, he must start to score more himself.

 Career high: Becoming the first non-French player to win the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year Award in 2008-09, before achieving something that the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry never managed by winning it again in 2009-10.

 Career low: Suffering penalty heartache at the hands of Spain in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship . Hazard's Belgium were hosting the tournament but went crashing out in the semi-finals after losing a shootout to a Bojan Krkic-inspired Spain side.

 Style: A fearless, explosive attacking midfielder who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble. Quotes: "Eden is technically gifted and very fast.

 I would take him to Real Madrid with my eyes closed. He can become a great footballer, he is a star of the future." France legend Zinedine Zidane gives Hazard a ringing endorsement. 

 Trivia: Both of Hazard's parents, Thierry and Carine were both footballers in Belgium and his younger brother Thorgan is on the books of Lille's arch-rivals Lens.

Monday, 28 May 2012

Hazard confirms Chelsea move


The 21-year-old wrote on Twitter: "I'm signing for the Champions League winner," in reference to the Blues' triumph over Bayern Munich on May 19.

He had Tweeted earlier in the day: "Good afternoon guys. I made up my mind. See you later. Thanks," before waiting several hours to elaborate on his choice.

Hazard, Ligue 1 player of the season for the past two years after his exploits with Lille, is believed to have changed his mind over his future as a result of Chelsea's European glory.

Goal.com understands that personal terms have been agreed and that the winger should sign this week.

The London-bound attacker scored 21 goals in 47 matches for the French side in 2011-12 although he and his team-mates failed to reclaim their Championnat crown.

 
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