He is actually fit now, but Eden Hazard is still not allowed to play. Why the Belgian’s Real Madrid adventure could end before the end of the season.
There is not only a photo of young Eden Hazard proudly wearing a Zinedine Zidane shirt. The Frenchman was his great role model, the Belgian emphasised years later. For example, when he moved to Real Madrid to be allowed to play under his role model.
Well, this story did not become much more fairytale-like. A lot of injury misfortune never really allowed Hazard to arrive in Madrid, where Real got just 53 (short) appearances and five measly goals for a transfer fee of up to 120 million euros since 2019. And yet his shirt number 7 hints at this: He should have replaced Cristiano Ronaldo at some point.
Ancelotti acts conservatively
In autumn 2021, Hazard is now 30, he is practically considered to be largely injury-free for the first time over a longer period. But his coach is now no longer called Zidane, but Carlo Ancelotti.
When the coach of the “Decima” (Real’s tenth Champions League title in 2014) surprisingly returned to the Spanish capital in the summer, it was not only clear to everyone in the royal environment quite quickly that no real upheaval coach had been signed here. And it is primarily the Italian’s conservative approach that puts Hazard in a rather hopeless position.
Although Ancelotti himself attests to the Belgian’s current “good form”, he regularly gives Lucas Vazquez or Marco Asensio, who for years has fallen short of the once great expectations, preference. And as a rule, they don’t pull up any trees. Barely more than 400 minutes so far this season – often when not much was at stake – are far too few for a fit Eden Hazard.
While the Royals are also only really convincing on occasion as a whole, the problem with the real world-class player is probably Carlo Ancelotti. “I prefer other players at the moment,” he admits openly; “I have never forced a player to stay,” sounds like a hint with a fence post.
Hazard’s place belongs to Vinicius
Now Ancelotti has also explained himself. In the 4-3-3 basic order, which is pretty much untouchable even under him, the 62-year-old clearly sees his protégé – or possibly only – on the left wing. However, for weeks now, the in-form Vinicius Junior has been unavoidable on the left wing. Alternatively, Ancelotti sees Hazard’s qualities in a “more central role”, which the 4-3-3 does not offer.
Under his current coach, there seems to be no room for the kind of player who used to be the focal point of line-ups just a few years ago. Without match practice, however, Real Madrid will no longer get this player. And although Hazard sometimes gives the impression that he “doesn’t care about all that”, team-mate Dani Carvajal assures us. So the first rumours are already sprouting about a departure after this season – if not already in the winter.
