Real Madrid: Eden Hazard would interfere with Vinícius Júnior’s development
By Ryan Plant
The dust has settled after Wednesday’s 1-1 El Clásico draw in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. The common opinion is that Santiago Solari’s Real Madrid played well, despite defending Malcom’s equalizer quite poorly and looked dangerous on the counter-attack through Vinícius Júnior and Karim Benzema.
After Real matched Barcelona and were, perhaps, unlucky to not run out as winners, Vinícius was one of the main talking points. His recent displays pose two questions: does Real Madrid need Eden Hazard? Or, does Eden Hazard need Real Madrid?
Since arriving from Flamengo last summer, he has been excellent. The 18-year-old began the season under Solari with the side Castilla, but the pair moved into first-team reckoning at the back end of 2018. The Brazilian played only 12 minutes under former manager Julen Lopetegui, but has since come to prominence.
He scored four goals in five Segundo División B matches – including a brace against Atlético Madrid B and a stunning free-kick against Celta Vigo B, and has now played 21 matches in all competitions for the first-team.
Against Barca, he carried the ball well, was a nuisance to Nélson Semedo, and should have gotten his name on the scoresheet but for Gerard Piqué’s brilliance.
President Florentino Pérez came under scrutiny last summer for not signing a Galáctico replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. Hazard, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar Jr. are all perpetually linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabéu, but it is the Belgian who appears to have his heart set on a move to Spain’s capital.
Does Real Madrid need him?
With Vinícius in fine form, it could be argued that no, the money could be better spent elsewhere. He would inevitably cost a club-record fee, which could be used to bolster the ranks in other positions of Solari’s squad.
Ronaldo’s absence left a goal-scoring void that has yet to be sufficiently filled. But, after a poor time under Lopetegui, Karim Benzema has begun to find form and has notched 18 goals in all competitions this season already.
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Hazard, according to Premier League evidence, would struggle to replace Ronaldo, too. Between 2015 and 2016, he went exactly 365 days without a Premier League goal, between strikes against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
In addition, in seasons in which Chelsea has struggled, notably 2015-16, he has also been found wanting. In the Blues’ victorious Premier League campaigns – under José Mourinho and Antonio Conte in 2014-15 and 2016-17 – he was superb, but he managed only four goals and three assists in 31 2015-16 appearances as Guus Hiddink’s side finished 10th.
Making fewer goal contributions in objectively poor seasons for the manager and squad may sound obvious, but, amidst the dominance of Barcelona, Solari needs someone able to win points on their own – Hazard has been unable to do that at times during his Chelsea career. Vinícius, even if only for Castilla so far, is already a proven match winner.
And, the Belgian’s best campaign at Stamford Bridge does not compare to Gareth Bale’s 2015-16, his finest for Los Blancos. The former-world-record signing scored more goals, with 19 compared to 16, made 10 assists compared to five, put in more successful crosses (0.8 per 90 minutes to 0.5) and laid on more through balls, with 0.3 p/90 against 0.1.
Of course, Bale suffers from injury problems and was poor against Barcelona on Wednesday. But failing him, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vázquez, Isco and, potentially next season, James Rodríguez could all feature on the right side of a front three or as a wide player in a rigid 4-4-2.
The problem in attack for Lopetegui and Solari has been a lack of cover for Benzema. Mariano Díaz’s return to the club from Olympique Lyonnais has been underwhelming, which left the Frenchman evidently fatigued by the end of Lopetegui’s tenure with the team struggling in front of goal.
Therefore, investment in a center-forward would be a better decision. Sure, the likes of Harry Kane and Mauro Icardi would, perhaps, be unlikely to choose a move to Real whilst Benzema is first choice, but accomplished La Liga forwards Rodrigo, Iago Aspas, and Iñaki Williams, you would think, would relish the move; they could also play on either side of a front three in the short-term.
The latter trio would each allow Vinícius to continue on the left. At 18, he has already shown maturity belying his age, and he has not been fazed by the large crowds or superstar opposition. He must be protected, and should not play 90 minutes in every game, but he is well on his way to becoming a Galáctico in his own right.
Asensio appeared to be on the same path after his stunning goal against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup in 2016, but he has struggled in the transition from being a superstar-in-waiting to a player partly responsible for Real’s poor results this term. Vinícius has had no such troubles and therefore is, seemingly, already more of an asset to Solari than the Spaniard.
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Real Madrid does not need Hazard, then, but his regular hints at a move to Los Blancos suggest that he requires, and demands, the move. In the Premier League, Manchester City was dominant last season, and are in a head-to-head battle with Liverpool for the title this time around. Chelsea is nowhere to be seen, and are not in the UEFA Champions League this season, either.
He is not capable of dragging his side from Champions League qualification hopefuls to Premier League-title challengers and wants a move away. Pérez and Real, for the good of Vinícius, should not give in to it.