Real Madrid: The discussion around Eden Hazard needs more nuance

Eden Hazard was signed to be Real Madrid’s biggest star this season, and while the early returns haven’t been up to standard, there’s no reason to declare him a wasted signing yet.

Although the biggest talking point surrounding Eden Hazard after Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Galatasaray was the easy chance he smacked off the crossbar, we could have easily spent more time discussing how his assist set up the crucial 18th-minute goal for returning star Toni Kroos.

Hazard now has a goal and two assists in his last two games, with the goal being a wonderful chip in a 4-2 win over then-second-place Granada. Per WhoScored.com, Hazard leads Real Madrid in fouls drawn per game in both La Liga and the Champions League, which is one of the many positive traits he brings to the table.

Yet Hazard hasn’t completed many dribbles and has struggled to create chances, averaging under1.5 key passes per game in league play. These numbers represent a drop-off from the astounding stats he’d put up at Chelsea on a consistent basis, as he was one of Europe’s top assist providers in 2018-2019 – a fact that made him particularly attractive to Real in the summer.

It would be disingenuous to say that Hazard has played up to his high standards thus far, but it would be equally misleading to sum up his performances as “poor”. Because Hazard’s standards are so high that in spite of his play actually being quite decent, it is subpar in comparison to what he is capable of.

This nuance needs to be appreciated, because whenever Real underperform, Hazard is blamed. Even when he gets an assist, is in dangerous positions, and works hard on the ball, the faults of Real’s tactics and execution fall disproportionately on his shoulders. Such is the curse of being a superstar player.

Hazard is supposed to be the man who leads Real Madrid to La Liga and Champions League glory. He is the biggest star for one of the world’s most marketable teams, expected to dominate lesser opponents and carry Los Blancos past the cream of the crop as the fleet-footed, hyper-aware difference-maker.

But Hazard is just one cog in a team that still needs to find cohesion and consistency under Zinedine Zidane. Real Madrid have a new-look squad after a summer transfer window that was mostly spent on injecting talented youth into the squad, such as center back Eder Militao or 18-year-old forward Rodrygo. Hazard was the only real current superstar added, which only increases the expectations specific to him.

If Luka Jovic or Rodrygo have a solid game without a goal, they won’t be criticized as heavily as Hazard, who has to be a savior or a Cristiano Ronaldo-type. Because if he isn’t, some sections of the fanbase will consider him a failure, with this unfair pressure only increasing to the detriment of the player.

Thus far, Hazard has been fine. “Just fine” isn’t good enough for the best player on a team with as many ambitions as Real Madrid, but it should be good enough to prevent him from being scapegoated. Yet here we are, having witnessed Hazard dragged on social media after a bad miss, which, yes, happened to other great players over the Champions League matchdays. Among them was Lionel Messi, whose Barcelona barely survived its own fixture against Slavia Praha.

Los Blancos will get the most out of Eden Hazard soon enough. He’s found the goals and assists column lately, his partnership with Karim Benzema is starting to flourish, and he is showing his world-class quality in glimpses. While Hazard isn’t “there” yet, he’s at least earned the right to patience and to a dignified response from the Real fan base.