La Liga 2019/20

[El Gato]

Not really. Many madridistas hold your view on Hazard and none are able to fully explain these expectations. If you expected better than 15-15 statistically from Hazard, please explain. And if not, he's essentially halfway there. That's pretty much it.

 

[serghei]

Hazard is pretty underwhelming. Scores far too few goals for a winger. He was brought for immediate impact, and so far, it has been lacking. You guys signed him too late. Looks to me like he's past his prime and his body is showing it. 7 years in Premier League riding hard challenges every game is not easy on the body.

I'd say Hazard is your Griezmann signing. Superstar that doesn't fit great and is too old, quite possibly with the best years behind him. Both are still world class players on their day, when they have freedom in the offense.

 

[Morten]

Hazard is pretty underwhelming. Scores far too few goals for a winger. He was brought for immediate impact, and so far, it has been lacking. You guys signed him too late. Looks to me like he's past his prime and his body is showing it. 7 years in Premier League riding hard challenges every game is not easy on the body.

I'd say Hazard is your Griezmann signing. Superstar that doesn't fit great and is too old, quite possibly with the best years behind him. Both are still world class players on their day, when they have freedom in the offense.

Griezmann and Hazard is not comparable in terms of role.
Griezmann essentially plays in the same spaces as Messi, so he will never get the freedom to play his best role.
Hazard, if he get past his injury problems, will have plenty of freedom in attack.

 

[El Gato]

His prime point isn't established all that well. He had his best season statistically under Sarri so why would he all of a sudden be considered past his prime if he has a poorer one the following year having been decimated by big non-self-inflicted injuries and a likely one-off summertime beerfest?
We'll see, but if it the case indeed and he's got ~3 years before being finished, all he really needs to do in the next few seasons is do his part towards league wins with Barcelona entering transition, bring in the cups and the investment is just fine.

The opportunity only started materialising after it was obvious he wants outs when Conte started having backroom meltdowns in 2017, so it's not like we could have done anything more. They wouldn't sell, we wouldn't pay more than we ended up paying and it is fair enough.

Griezmann is a poorer signing by far if the intention for this project is to keep playing 4-3-3, while not selling Messi. Hazard has an obvious place on the pitch, but needs adjustment from transitional football to stop-start chance creation on the wings and carrying the dribble in a team that has no dribblers. He's filling in an absolutely obvious void, positionally and stylistically.

 

[Morten]

We do have other dribblers, like Isco, but he is inconsistent(despite being like 28).

 

[serghei]

Griezmann and Hazard is not comparable in terms of role.
Griezmann essentially plays in the same spaces as Messi, so he will never get the freedom to play his best role.
Hazard, if he get past his injury problems, will have plenty of freedom in attack.

Who said they are comparable in terms of role? Point is neither really fit their teams and both are past their best years. You guys need goals from other player than just Benzema, we need speed on the wings and dribbling ability. Neither Hazard or Griezmann are real wingers.

Ffs your 2nd best goalscorer is Ramos .

Hazard, Asensio, Isco. 3 players for the same role. Let's not even count James Rodriguez. And nobody to score goals but Benzema.

 

[El Gato]

Hazard fits his role quite well. He was not brought in to score. Nor is he a 10. Nor is Asensio a 10.

 

[serghei]

Seems to be he is not really anything. Seems a light Messi variant with more workrate and discipline, but nowhere near in terms of end product. Not a winger, not a forward, not really a midfielder, not a 10.

You can admit it or not, but if next season he doesn't play better or doesn't get past injuries, you're looking at a major flop of a transfer. He needs to add some goals. Don't buy that shit that he wasn't brought to score goals. All players who play in the attacking line have to score goals.

 

[Morten]

Who said they are comparable in terms of role? Point is neither really fit their teams and both are past their best years. You guys need goals from other player than just Benzema, we need speed on the wings and dribbling ability. Neither Hazard or Griezmann are real wingers.

Ffs your 2nd best goalscorer is Ramos .

Hazard, Asensio, Isco. 3 players for the same role. Let's not even count James Rodriguez. And nobody to score goals but Benzema.

Hazard is not a real winger, but he operates on the left(he actually isnt very good as a number 10), so he will have his ideal position on the field when/if he is fit.
Significantly better wideman than Griezmann though, as Hazard can actually take on players.

Though as far as goalscoring is concerned, Hazard is never going to be a 30+ guy, maybe 15-20, but that would still help a good deal.

Hazard may not fit the team, but the jury is still out on that, Griezmann however, will never fit unless he reinvent himself, as Messi occupies his position.

 

[serghei]

Oh if he goes near 20 goals it's a good output. I'd say he's a success if he gets near 20 goals. But it's going to be tough. The nature of Premier League helps players dribble more, because they have space to run at teams and because the games are naturally end to end stuff.

La Liga is a whole different game. Teams sit back, are more compact, not really much space to run into.

Jury's still out on Griezmann as well.

 

[Morten]

Oh if he goes near 20 goals it's a good output. I'd say he's a success if he gets near 20 goals. But it's going to be tough. The nature of Premier League helps players dribble more, because they have space to run at teams and because the games are naturally end to end stuff.

La Liga is a whole different game. Teams sit back, are more compact, not really much space to run into.

I dont think Hazards problem will ever be about having trouble dribbling, so that wont concern me, but there are other factors at play.

 

[El Gato]

Seems to be he is not really anything. Seems a light Messi variant with more workrate and discipline, but nowhere near in terms of end product. Not a winger, not a forward, not really a midfielder, not a 10.

You can admit it or not, but if next season he doesn't play better or doesn't get past injuries, you're looking at a major flop of a transfer. He needs to add some goals. Don't buy that shit that he wasn't brought to score goals. All players who play in the attacking line have to score goals.

He's clearly positioned on the left wing in 95% of the games, occasionally swapping wings with the opposing player, usually Rodrygo when suitable.

He wasn't brought in to score goals, scored 16 in his best (two) season(s), usually ~ 12 = scoring in less than 1/3 of all league games. The club know that. They didn't add him for a guarantee of 12 goals, but for the guarantee of creating a large volume of chances from open play or drawing fouls. He was brought in to be the Di Maria profile player that we didn't have since he left who creates openings and has enough quality to be a threat in big games.

In the event of Hazard arrival, and even before it actually, the goals are always expected to come from the striker and the RW. Bale is useless in almost any scenario, Lucas only OK against bottom 5 La Liga. Asensio had a bad season last year, but has recently played RW and did it very well, especially when a capable service guy was there at LW.

The plan is still to wait and wait until Mbappe fills the RW while making improvements across the board. Hazard is part of the puzzle and will do even better when a good RW is there to provide a late run onto his move and pass from the left.
Not entirely sure where that leaves most of our talent, but that's what will happen.

 

[henias]

Hazard suffers the same problem as he needs the freedom as well and he is no traditional winger. Benzema plays too deep at times and there's little options upfront(less runners) Madrid are alot slower, static, more technically oriented and under Zidane they are more conservative and laid back, plays deep short passes, little penetration, deep crosses, unlike in Chelsea it is more direct and fast paced(alot of quick direct fullbacks, physical forwards). Even if he didnt have injuries, he wouldn't flourish under Zidane, unless zz can build an actual team around him.

 

[El Gato]

Yeah, Benzema dropping is an issue, because, not counting Bale, the only players with enough pace to make moves in behind are 22 or younger and inexperienced at that. You could criticise Hazard for that and go on complaining how he's slow, will be slower and therefore a flop or overinvestment, but it's missing the point - he was never really that rapid receiver. The club knew it in advance.

Hazard and Benz are both the players who will play another guy in. And that guy needs to be Asensio, Jović, Rodrygo or Vinicius, sometimes rapid fullbacks when on overlap. Even now it's usually them who end up on the end of those.

In other words, investment will be fine if any of these guys give us a scoring return amid the wait for Mbappe. Hazard's skillset is not suited to do that. He was never going to be that. He never will be. And people need stop looking at him through a Ronaldo lens with some kind of idea in their head that he's going to score 20 out of 50 that Ronaldo used to, no chance. 15-15 type seasons are the best case scenario, but it needs to be one of the 4 above who net the goals.
Asensio is a big hope, even now, despite that shit season last year. Under Zidane he's a very different personality. Him and Rodrygo looked superb when together on RW and LW respectively. Hope we see that more often.

BTW
I love how this seemingly DISASTROUS scoring return is highlighted by people here and yet when a Benziboy scores 15 in 2 seasons there's absolutely nothing, because of all the link-up play bollocks

 

[Vilarrubi]

BTW
I love how this seemingly DISASTROUS scoring return is highlighted by people here and yet when a Benziboy scores 15 in 2 seasons there's absolutely nothing, because of all the link-up play bollocks

That's with Penaldo in the team though. Completely different story when you've got a 40/50 goal a season player as well as Benz.

Obviously Hazard isn't a direct replacement for Ronaldo, but you need to replace some goals somehow. Scoring only 1 or 2 goals a game will catch up to you at some point if not. Like others mentioned if he manages 20 gaols next season thats decent.