Real Madrid: 3 ways Eden Hazard has been missed

2) Left flank dominance

The game against PSG was easily amongst Real’s best games this season offensively. While Los Blancos didn’t score many goals, thanks to wasted chances and an in-form Keylor Navas, Real still created a ton of chances. The Whites played aesthetically pleasing football, completely dominated PSG and deserved to win that game. One of the reasons for that performance was Los Blancos’ unreal dominance on the left flank.

With Eden Hazard in the line-up, Madrid can create a dominant left flank with the likes of Isco, Toni Kroos, and Marcelo/Ferland Mendy. With those four on that flank, Los Blancos rarely lose the ball on that side. All four of them have great technical skills and have incredible press resistance. Their understanding of each other also helps create brilliant passing combinations to help ball progression and/or to break the opponents’ press.

Opposing teams also have to spend more of their players and energy focusing on the left flank, with the entire defense sometimes shifting over to Madrid’s left flank. This allows Los Blancos’ right flank loads of space which benefits Carvajal, Fede Valverde and whoever is playing as the right-winger. A simple diagonal ball from Kroos and Madrid get acres of space on the right-wing with the opposition defense scrambling to close the space.

Without Eden, Los Blancos lose this flank domination, especially when Marcelo is out too as Mendy is more defensive-minded. That leaves only Isco and Toni Kroos on that left flank who struggle to dominate with only the two of them.