Chelsea’s over-reliance on Eden Hazard will wreck title hopes

Chelsea won’t win the Premier League title because of an over-reliance on Eden Hazard.

As Eden Hazard goes, so go Chelsea. It doesn’t sound bad when you acknowledge Hazard is one of the most talented players in the world.

When their No. 10 plays up to his talent, the Blues win. The problem is when Hazard is off the boil, Chelsea usually drop points.

It happened on Sunday when Hazard and Co. couldn’t find the net against West Ham at the London Stadium. The 0-0 stalemate ended Chelsea’s sequence of six straight wins since Maurizio Sarri replaced Antonio Conte as manager this summer.

Chelsea stayed second in the table because the Hammers exploited the Hazard-centric nature of Sarri’s team.

West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini had seen his side concede 11 goals in five previous league matches. Yet Pellegrini was in no doubt about how to slow the Chelsea attack down.

Specifically, Pellegrini wanted the Blues to have the ball away from the left flank where Hazard is often found, per BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty:

"We played well tactically because we allowed them to have the ball where we wanted, and we defended well. They played most of the game on their right side, so they didn’t create too many chances."

Chelsea destroy teams from the left because of how Hazard links with goal-getting full-back Marcos Alonso. It’s a different story on the other side, where Cesar Azpilicueta doesn’t get forward anywhere near as often from right-back.

The Blues’ right flank is also the new home of N’Golo Kante. Yet like anyone in unfamiliar surroundings, Kante remains unsure of himself.

His uncertainty is understandable since the converted midfield destroyer is not a forward-thinking player. He isn’t technically adept enough to offer much creativity in attacking areas.

Kante’s limitations leave Chelsea increasingly eager to funnel play toward the left. The eagerness was increased by Pedro’s absence through injury on Sunday.

His knowledge of when to occupy the wing and when to roam centrally makes the Spaniard perfect for Sarri’s fluid style of play. Willian stepped in for Pedro against the Hammers, but the Brazilian’s movement lacks the same purpose.

Willian’s erratic positional sense robs Chelsea of any cohesion on the right. Instead, Kante is left searching for answers he doesn’t have, while Azpilicueta is forced to indulge attacking instincts that don’t come naturally.

West Ham were ready for a typically heavy dose of Hazard. The home side countered by doubling up on the Belgium international in wide areas.

Winger Andriy Yarmolenko was the key man. He was tasked with helping Pablo Zabaleta crowd Hazard on the left flank.

Hazard couldn’t go through or get around two, so he had to drift inwards with the ball. It was just what Pellegrini wanted.

The Hammers wanted to see Hazard moving inside because they had a numbers advantage in central areas.

Having Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson double up on the wings created a back six out of possession. This became a back nine when central midfielders Mark Noble, Declan Rice and Pedro Obiang dropped deeper and sat in front of the defense.

Rice’s defensive numbers show the effectiveness of this three-man screen:

https://twitter.com/FTalentScout/status/1041369879599833089

Rice ensured Hazard couldn’t find space whenever he shifted the ball inside. There were no gaps for passes between the lines, nor any room for shooting opportunities.

The congestion also hampered Hazard off the ball. He was unable to roam into the pockets of space between midfield and defense where he does so much damage.

Keeping Hazard smothered led to a drab day for the forward who entered the game on a prolific run as a scorer and creator:

Finding an alternative when his best player is out of sorts won’t be easy for Sarri.

The Blues have to stretch the condensed block West Ham showed Hazard and create room for their attacking talisman.

It won’t happen with N’Golo Kante moving wide and Willian drifting infield. It won’t happen while center-forwards Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata lack the pace to force defenses deeper and make room in front for Hazard.

Instead, the onus will be on Chelsea’s midfielders to be more imaginative with their passes.

Dominating possession has become routine for these Blues, particularly with Jorginho pulling the strings:

Those numbers may have set records, but few of Jorginho’s passes hurt the Hammers. Too many were aimed Hazard’s way, a reminder of the need to bring others into play.

Another central midfielder needs to get forward more often. Kante is chasing the ball in areas where he doesn’t know what to do if he gets it.

It would make more sense for the skilled Mateo Kovacic to push on while Kante returns to deeper pastures. Runners from deep who pose a credible threat will make it tougher for teams to commit numbers to Hazard.

More proactive passing will also let Hazard stay higher up the pitch. The 27-year-old is guilty of dropping off the front to hunt the ball.

It’s a problem not lost on Sarri:

Hazard is dropping deeper because he’s frustrated the ball isn’t getting to him quickly enough. It means Jorginho must sacrifice some of the steady square passes that pad statistics for more daring attempts to play teammates in behind.

Sarri would be smart to bring Cesc Fabregas back into the fold, even if it means sacrificing one of his current midfield three or a wide forward. Fabregas knows few equals in the game when it comes to releasing through passes to forwards on the run.

The Spaniard has been recovering from injury but played in the 1-0 win over PAOK in the Europa League last Thursday. Fabregas still has the radar and technique to find Hazard early and in space.

Chelsea need quicker passes, runners from deep and more direct movement on the right to pull teams’ focus away from Hazard. If he’s not helped to decide matches more often, Chelsea won’t stay with Liverpool or Manchester City in the title race.