Real Madrid: Eden Hazard may complete an exciting role change

Before the 2021-2022 LaLiga season began, I wrote about how Gareth Bale would need to find a way to change his game at Real Madrid in order to account for how his skill-set has been modified with age. Bale would need to take the approach of using his technical skills, experience, and reading of the game to play incisive, as opposed to relying on his pace. And in a slightly different way, the veteran winger opposite of him, Eden Hazard, is figuring this out, too.

Hazard and Bale both started alongside Karim Benzema in the middle, and they both were effective through 60 minutes in a 4-1 romping of Deportivo Alaves at the Mendizorroza to open the new LaLiga campaign. Benzema was unsurprisingly the star of the night with his two goals, but Hazard had an assist and an intriguing role to play in the win.

Though Hazard did not command the ball frequently, he still made his presence felt. Aside from his delightful flicked assist for Benzema and a couple of other flicks that made the rounds on social media, Hazard had the best overall creative numbers of any Real Madrid player on Matchday 1.

According to WhoScored.com, the Belgian international had a team-high three key passes with a pair of dribbles completed and fouls drawn. He even had an interception and completed just under 92 percent of his 36 attempts.

Eden Hazard will be more of a playmaker for Real Madrid than a carrier

Those are very strong numbers across about an hour of play against an Alaves side that lived up to its hard-nosed defensive reputation in the first half.

But Hazard didn’t blow anyone’s mind to get those numbers. Instead of carrying the ball and weaving in and around defenders like in the past at Chelsea (or even in that brief Fall of 2019 at Real Madrid), he was more tactical with his movements and a lot quicker to release the ball.

Hazard was a floating playmaker who hugged the touchline to create width and then moved inside when he saw the space. The former Premier League ace did not bring his bag of tricks, except when making those quick passes, but he brought his mental “A” game and attacking panache to the pitch.

With some smart sprayed passes down the wing to the overlapping David Alaba and clever exchanges with usual buddy Benzema, Hazard played more of a linking and facilitating role for Real Madrid with most of his work being subtle and off-the-ball. It was a very LaLiga performance from a previously “heavy metal” footballer at Chelsea and Lille.

Under Carlo Ancelotti, we can expect some changes, including from talented veteran players like Bale, Hazard, and Isco, who all need to adjust their games in the next chapters of their careers. After facing injury after injury, it appears Hazard has come to the realization that in a new league and with a new body, it is time for him to make a change of his own.

And change can be uncomfortable at first. When the process is trusted and a player adapts, though, change can be beautiful. Madridistas should look forward to seeing how Hazard navigates a new responsibility going forward, especially if a certain someone from PSG joins him.