Real Madrid: 5 burning questions from the Spanish Supercup loss

What if Eden Hazard never gets off the ground?

I am profoundly disappointed with Eden Hazard’s performance against Athletic Club. There were very few performances on Los Blancos that deserve to be singled out for praise, if any at all. So Hazard is not alone on the list of disappointments.

But to be blunt, he was the worst player on the entire pitch. I understand that Lucas Vazquez made the two costly errors, but he actually tried to make a positive impact by leading the team with five key passes and four tackles, according to WhoScored.com. And let’s be real here: Is it his fault Zinedine Zidane insisted on playing him at right back instead of a healthy Alvaro Odriozola?

Meanwhile, I cannot name a single great moment from Hazard in this Supercup match. He contributed nothing. Hazard had one key pass, one foul drawn, zero dribbles completed, and one hapless effort shot straight at Unai Simon.

Hazard is one of the world’s best players when he’s healthy and clicking. We have not seen him at that level this season since the 4-1 win over Huesca when he scored his lone goal of the campaign. I have faith in Hazard, but because I have sung his praises so forcefully over the past year, I am doubly annoyed with his lackadaisical effort against Athletic Club. He might as well have never taken the field. As much as I want to believe in Hazard, a display like this makes me fear the worst about his ability to make an impact in 2020-2021 at all.