Eden Hazard will take centre stage against Lionel Messi today and will have the chance to show the Argentine that he himself is a world-class player.
Jose Mourinho and Marc Wilmots both have the privilege of having Hazard in their team. Although Hazard is a superb talent, he still lacks the ability to be able to dominate a game. Mourinho and Wilmots both know this and they are not afraid to say it. The most recent remark by Belgium’s manager concerning Hazard was about his inability to control a match. Wilmots stated, per the BBC, “I’m waiting for him[Hazard] to take hold of a match and impose himself, even if he’s still young to be doing that.”. He also said that “He[Hazard] can find gaps and score goals. We’ve discussed it together – he wants to be more decisive, but there’s a difference between saying it and doing it, I’m confident in him and I think all of Belgium is confident in him but it’ll take a collective effort from all of us for this to happen.”
Even Hazard himself said that “In this World Cup, I have yet to play a great match, even if I had good moves which were decisive,”. He has showed sparks of his ability to control games. Against the Republic of Korea he came on as a substitute and was a crucial player in the build-up to the goal by assisting Divock Origi. Hazard knows what is required of him and he not only has to lead his team to glory, he wants to lead his team to glory.
With Belgium, Hazard has the backing of his team-mates, his manager, and a whole nation. The question is will Hazard be able to carve a path to the final for Belgium, or will he be just another player that is great at club level but cannot rise to the occasion when representing his nation? Glory is calling, all Hazard has to do is answer.
All quotes from BBC
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