Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo has said that he has seen the potential for new signing Eden Hazard to be Chelsea’s next Gianfranco Zola, after just one game in a Chelsea football kit.
Although it was an impressive performance – he helped set up both the football goals that gave Chelsea their first win of the season, he also had his fluffs. He messed up a back-kick which registered humorously with the crowd and will probably be more remembered for that than his assists.
The Belgian International was purchased from Lille, his first club where he excelled and brought the attention of the world to him, for a sum thought to be around £32, which is £8m more than Manchester United paid for Robin van Persie a few days ago.
Given that Hazard is in such good company at Chelsea, with Torres looking like he’s finding form and team morale at a high after winning the Champions League, their first trophy for years and one of the football trophies they had never won, Hazard should be expected to excel.
But will it be to the level that Di Matteo has speculated? He must have seriously impressed in a football bib on the training ground for there to be such strong associations being drawn already.
The acid test will be whether he can match the pace of the Premier League. At Lille he was a big fish in what is, in terms of Belgian football, a small pond. Now he’s in the greatest league in the world, surrounded by players he may have grown up admiring, will he be able to maintain his stunning form?
Zola was Chelsea’s greatest player, undoubtedly. He made 229 appearances, sticking 59 footballs in the back of football nets. The similarity begins between him and Hazard with the Player of the Year awards they have both won during their footballing career.
Maybe that’s all the encouragement Hazard will need.
