Chelsea Forward Eden Hazard signed a new five-and-a-half-year contract, the club announced in February. Hazard joined Chelsea from Lille in June 2012 and has since made a total 147 appearances for the Blues, scoring 43 goals.
“I am very happy to sign a new contract with Chelsea,” Hazard told the club’s official website at the time. “Since I came here in 2012 I have always felt good and the club has been very supportive to me.”
Hazard was the Premier League’s player of the year last season, as the Blues took home the title. This season is a completely different story however. Hazard, like many of Chelsea’s star players, has performed well below standards and expectations. Diego Costa, another Chelsea player who is off to a very rough start, admitted that he’s out of shape and that the team’s problems lie with the players, not the manager.
Eden Hazard admitted that he’s currently in the worst form of his life.
“This is the first time in my career that I have had such a difficult spell like this,” he said.
“I can’t really explain it. All I know is that I will need to work hard in order to bounce back. At Chelsea we have concerns both as a team and individually.
“We all thought that our recent win against Arsenal would give us lift-off – but instead we fell straight back into our bad ways.
“I was left on the bench against Porto in the Champions League, and I am no longer immune to being left out. You can be untouchable when you play well, and that has not been the case with me.
“I think the manager wanted to send me a message by making me a sub. I don’t read everything he says, but he explains everything.”
Eden Hazard and Chelsea are off to their worst start since 1978-79; a season in which they were relegated. The Blues are currently in 16th place, just two above the drop zone.
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