Eden Hazard dropped by Belgium, may miss Euro 2016

Eden Hazard has been dropped by Belgium for upcoming friendlies, could this decision have lasting implications?

Chelsea FC winger Eden Hazard is one of the longest streaks of his career. Unfortunately for him and the Blues, it is a scoreless streak in the Premier League that stretches back to May 3rd of last season against Crystal Palace.

Hazard has scored twice this season in the FA Cup, but neither of those goals came from open play and both were against sub par competition in MK Dons and what was essentially Manchester City’s youth team.

This tremendous drop in form, paired with some injuries including a hip and thigh issue that has him ruled out for three to four weeks, has lead to the young star being dropped by Belgium for the upcoming international break. The Red Devils are set to face off against Portugal on March 29th and will do so without a player considered to be their talisman.

Many consider these injury issues to be the cause of Hazard’s poor play this season, but while they may have contributed to it they are not the cause. Hazard returned from the summer holidays out of shape and it was evident right away that he was not the same player early in the season.

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His attitude and motivation was questioned as whispers of clashes between the winger and Jose Mourinho began to circulate. The conflicts reportedly centered on Hazard’s fitness levels and motivation after a season in which he was named the PFA Player of the Year in the Premier League.

Then came the interview in which Hazard admitted that he was not on the same level of Ronaldo or Messi in terms of mentality because he does not that insatiable hunger for goals. Desire is something Mourinho prizes above all else and Chelsea fans were as disappointed as their manager about those comments.

These injuries and fitness problems, coupled with rumors of a move to Real Madrid or PSG have done little to settle the situation around Hazard. Perhaps even if he was healthy, Belgium may have left him off the squad for the upcoming friendlies simply to see what other players are capable of.

When fit and healthy an argument could be made for Hazard being among the 10 best players in Europe, but he has not even been the 10th best player on Chelsea this season. Belgium are not on short on talent, even without Hazard, as they feature stars such as Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, and Radja Nainggolan in the squad.

They are missing Kevin De Bruyne and Jan Vertonghen through injury but both are on track to be fit before Euro 2016. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Hazard is left off the squad for the tournament but if he continues to play the way he has, Marc Wilmots may have no choice.

We all know what the dynamic winger is capable of when fit and on form, but he has been neither of those things this year. The ideal situation for both Chelsea FC and Belgium is that he takes the next month or so to work on rehabbing his body and his confidence to make a late push for his club and country.

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