Yup, let Eden Hazard go do what he’s best at: attack!
While I’m not necessarily oblivious, negligent or unaware of the import of having most of your attacking players imbibe the work ethic of defensive awareness, it goes without saying that as a football manager, demanding defending from all your 10 outfield players is akin to preparing the funeral of the sport; not even in rugby where defending in “scrum” is an art form will you find all *13 or 15 players defending or asked by anyone to defend!
(* – rugby league has 13 players while its other format, the rugby union has 15)
Even in the Rugby Union or League, attacking freedom is key for “tries” or goals to be made or scored, as it were. Ditto most team sports: basketball, netball, volleyball, handball, Australia Rules football, American football etc; and has never been any different (nor should it ever be) for the beautiful game, else how on earth would the world have been mesmerised and entertained by the silky beauty of the dancing feet of the Diego Maradonas and the Zinedine Zidanes of this world? Wouldn’t asking gifted attackers to defend and defenders to defend still have deprived the world of the sheer vitality the magic of the Roberto Baggios and the Lionel Messis brought to life?
Alas, Mourinho apparently couldn’t care less if Chelsea’s football is bereft of that vital vitality as long as we win games and championships; he seems hellbent on squeezing the remaining ounces of beauty, flair and style off our play by alienating the only true marquee attacker left in our squad, Eden Hazard! And this, after running out of town and overseeing the gradual decline of his partners-in-crime, Juan Mata and Oscar respectively.
How sad can this be? After Hazard, peradventure, what next? Any alternative(s) as good as or close enough in quality to the 24-year-old wizard? Even then, what are the chances that the said alternative will love defending?
Haven’t we yet learned our lessons from the folly of forcing Oscar, a once silky no.10 operator, to defend from the front? Will we ever learn, even?
In demanding that the country’s best footballer last season, who won all the available personal accolades in the country for his attacking prowess and output as opposed to his defending ones, defend and defend and defend even when it couldn’t be clearer that the poor lad isn’t exactly cut out for such exhaustive workload, the self-styled ‘Special One’ should perhaps go watch the Rugby World Cup at Twickenham on Saturday at 5pm – after our game vs West Ham in East London which is at 3pm – when the All Blacks(New Zealand) who are for all intents and purposes the Brazil of rugby take on the Springboks(South Africa).
Maybe, just maybe, he’d then realise why he should just let Hazard go attack, attack and attack, unhinged and unshackled, while everyone else from John Terry to Diego Costa can defend, defend and defend, as the Belgian livewire, from what we’ve seen these past few years, will never be a good defender!
How many tackles do Messi and Ronaldo win or even put in per year, anyone? And whoever recognises an offensive player for his defensive nous?
Please Jose, let Hazard go! Let him go enjoy his football once again, by doing what we bought him for.
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