On Reflection: Eden Hazard wasted in attack, Chelsea need Diego Costa firing again

Jose Mourinho had a point when he called Diego Costa “privileged” for keeping his place in the starting eleven for so long this season. As the Portuguese coach continues to search for his team’s form, other players have been benched, but not the Brazil-born striker.

“Diego is very privileged because he was the last one to be on the bench,” Mourinho said after the game. “Everyone else has been: the captain [John Terry]; Branislav Ivanovic; Gary Cahill, the vice-captain of England; Cesc Fabregas; Pedro; Eden Hazard, player of the season; Oscar; everyone was on the bench. Diego was privileged because I kept him in the team for all these matches.”

This particular omission was significant, though: partly because it was such a big game for Chelsea, one they could not afford to lose (and seemed quite happy with a point in the end). If Mourinho wanted to make a point, he could have dropped Costa for the Maccabi Tel Aviv game; Chelsea would still have probably won it. The other factor that might have contributed to the Spaniard’s dark mood was that Chelsea’s back-up strikers Radamel Falcao (injured) and Loic Remy (paternity leave) were unavailable. So Chelsea played Eden Hazard, who has yet to score all season, at centre-forward.

It’s worth noting that the last time Mourinho played the tactic of putting a winger at centre-forward, it was Andre Schurrle playing at Old Trafford in August 2013 when Chelsea played for and got a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.

The difference between Costa and Hazard was all too apparent at White Hart Lane. There were no niggles, no unnecessary off-the-ball nonsense and no histrionics. We know that’s part of Costa’s game and if you take the nastiness away, you are left with half the player. The issue with Hazard is almost the total opposite. He might just be too nice.

As he told Belgian magazine Sport/Foot in September, Hazard does not have the killer instinct of a Ronaldo or Messi. “I often ask myself what I can do to become like Messi and Ronaldo and score 50 or 60 goals in a season," he said. “I try of course but I realise that I will never be a true scorer. It's not in me. It is mainly mental. At 2-0, not thinking that is enough for example. Sometimes I still think after a goal, 'that's enough'. I'm not in search of records like some other players…”

He said something similar to L’Equipe magazine over the summer. When asked if he was deeply egocentric like the two best players in the world, he replied: “Maybe not enough, no.” Does it bother you? “Not at all, no.” What is your nasty side? “Nothing... Nothing. There should be something. But there will never be anything.”

Hazard admitted that others have told him to develop more of a killer instinct but he does not think he can do it. Against Spurs, Hazard had two major chances, a header that he put over the crossbar and a volley with brought an exquisite save from Hugo Lloris. That said, Mourinho seemed happy with the Belgian’s performance and said it was his best of the season. That tells us more about the season he’s had rather than how well he played at White Hart Lane.

Hazard’s scoring drought dates back to May 2015, when he scored the winning goal – from a missed penalty but converted rebound – against Crystal Palace. It was 17 games and more than 1,500 game-time minutes ago. “I only need one goal. I'm not worried. The confidence and the goals will come,” he told the Belgian press after the game.” As for Mourinho’s pre-match comment that Hazard is not his ideal number ten (the coach said he preferred Wesley Sneijder and Deco for their defensive work), he laughed: “That's his choice. He's the boss. We have a normal relationship.”

And before all the “Costa to leave Chelsea” stories are prepared, it’s worth remembering that Hazard himself was dropped earlier in the campaign for the win over Aston Villa. “I left out Hazard because we are conceding lots of goals. We need to defend better,” said Mourinho at the time. “We need our midfielders to be just worried in the central area of the pitch, not worrying about compensation on the left or right… It was a tactical decision. Leaving super quality on the bench, but bringing tactical discipline and hoping the team could be solid.”

Mourinho would say the risk paid off: he made a point, and earned a point. But what did Chelsea lose by playing Hazard up front?

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The table above shows Hazard’s numbers this season compared with Oscar and Pedro, who played along with Willian (now undroppable) behind Hazard. From a wide position, the Belgian creates more chances per game than Oscar and Pedro combined, makes more dribbles per game and has a higher success rate. The others take more shots per game – with Pedro’s 2.9 almost double Hazard’s tally. Perhaps Pedro, with his experience of playing with a false nine at Barcelona, might be another option to play in that position?

The next issue for Mourinho to face is how Costa will respond to this snub. As The Guardian’s Dominic Fifield put it: “Long-term, Chelsea may now privately accept Costa’s days are numbered. Short-term, they need him firing again – quick.”

Below is the difference between Costa 2014 and Costa 2015.

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There is a drop in almost every metric here. Only offsides, fouls conceded and won and recoveries are up on last season’s figures. His shot conversion has halved and goals per game are almost three times lower. It is Mourinho’s job to help Costa rediscover his form, to bring him back to last season’s all-snarling, all-scoring powerhouse. Perhaps watching a game from the bench will have the desired effect. If not, then Chelsea will need to start planning for a January striker purchase soon. Isn’t Dider Drogba in London at the moment?