Player Analysis: Eden Hazard

Hazard has hit his straps, now is the time to get on!

By the Stats...
Price: 9.2
Total Score: 60
Average Score: 5.45
Selected by: 17%
Fixtures: West Ham, SOUTHAMPTON, Sunderland, Stoke City, CRYSTAL PALACE


Career to this Stage

Hazard begun his footballing at Royal Stade Branois, where he developed his skills for the best part of 9 years. Known for his turn of pace and lethal shot, the Belgium international at just 22 years of age has already made 42 appearances and netted 5 for his country. Rolland Courbis, an ex-french footballer and now media pundit has suggested it's like watching a 'right sided Messi'. But if we attempt to evade the hype for a second or two, we can see that Eden had 147 appearances for Lille, which included 36 goals. Looking further into the stats, Eden scored 20 and had 15 assists in 38 appearances in his final season at Lille, showing just how devestating he can be. Now at Chelsea, Hazard continues to produce the goods. After a relatively slow start to the season he has begun to hit his straps and may well be primed for the picking.

2013/14 Stats

Having nailed 4 goals and 3 assists in a relatively slow start to the season speaks volume for just how devestating the Belgium international can be. Having drawn blanks in his first 7 fixtures, which included just one assist, Hazard's position in the starting 11 had to be questioned. 

This chart depicts Eden Hazard's average receiving position within each game this season. He has had a slightly more advanced role recently, with 3 of his 4 highest positions occurring within the last 3 weeks. Now this is interesting as it suggest Mourinho is determining his best position and embedding him into the role.

	Shot Accuracy (%)	Mins Per Chance Created	Penalty Area Touches (per 90 mins)
2012/13 Season	41.3	41.8	5
GW 1-6	33.3	38	2.5
GW 7-10	57.1	58.8	6.2

Looking at these figures, we can conclude that overall not a lot has changed in Hazard's game. More penalty touches suggests, like the earlier data suggested, he has been playing in a slightly more advanced role. The shot accuracy is much higher than previous seasons, and although it's unlikely the Belgium can sustain such form, there may potentially be an improvement on his previous figures. 

Synopsis

So should we bring in the Chelsea man? I believe with all things considered, he must certainly be high on midfield calculations. He's in ripping form, Chelsea have a strong run and he's getting further more so than ever before in a Blue shirt. Make him a priority!

So what do you think? Is Hazard a must have? Thanks for reading and good luck this weekend fantasy fellows!