Tough to pinpoint

I watched Hazard at Chelsea and the swashbuckling creative guy I saw there does not exist at Real Madrid. I have been surprised by how few people Hazard takes on and beats with the pace and foot skill he showed at Chelsea. I feel much of it can be boiled down to two central issues.

1., Health - He just hasn’t been right and he is not in game shape. I would like to see ZiZou start Asensio or Vinicius on the left and let Hazard have the last 30-40 minutes of the game until he gets in great game shape. I saw a glimpse of the guy I thought we were getting for a moment last year against PSG but it was also the game he seriously injured his ankle.

2. Confidence - Hazards swagger is completely gone and invisible but I believe the reason is #1. It is true that he is taking on fewer defenders directly but if his ankle does not feel right and he does not trust it , it would explain the absence of goals, assists and dribbles which are all in the toilet.

I will say this for Hazard. He is integrated into the team and is well liked. Unlike Bale, he says the right things and he pays constant homage to Madrid’s history and how he wants to prove it for the fans. What kills me is that he was relatively healthy for Chelsea. I am really hoping this is just bad luck but with each month that passes I doubt a bit more. Madrid needs him bad. We cantt score. It’s Big Benz or nothing so I would really love for Hazard to end the season on a strong note. He isn’t getting any younger so the time is now and there has to be evidence before the end of the year if it is going to happen for him at Madrid.