Chelsea could not function upfront against Arsenal in the Premier League clash last Sunday because Eden Hazard could not be replaced by Willian and Pedro according to former Blues winger Pat Nevin.
Chelsea labored for much of the game at Stamford Bridge to find the back of the net, but could not break a resolute Arsenal setup.
Antonio Conte had deployed Willian and Pedro in attacking positions behind lead striker Alvaro Morata but none of the three attackers could break the Gunners’ solid back line and Nevin thinks Hazard’s absence for much of that game caused that.
Chelsea’s former winger Nevin wrote in his weekly column on the club’s official website, that Hazard would later inject the missing ‘magic’ into Conte’s team when he fully returns from injury.
At times like that you need something different or something special and Eden Hazard’s cameo at the end showed us precisely what that was.
For all that it has been a good run since the beginning of the season, it is times like these when you fully appreciate what Eden brings to the table. You can match up all over the pitch as much as you like but if someone dances past three players, your system and structure is smashed
Pat Nevin, Chelsea FC
“A fully fit Eden is probably what was needed on this specific occasion and I reckon that even though we only got to see a few of his dribbles and runs, it was quite a considerable step forward from his short appearance against Qarabag. You will doubtless have heard it a million times from ex-players but the only way to truly get match fitness is of course to play matches, preferably full matches in a competitive environment,” Nevin said.
“Against Qarabag, I could see that Eden knew exactly what to do but the explosive power was not quite there after going past the first couple of opponents. Fortunately, that will come back quickly and I for one am hoping that 90 minutes against Nottingham Forest tomorrow evening might just do the trick.” he added.
