Real Madrid did not play well as a collective in their 1-0 victory over fourth-tier Cacereno, but they did come away with the win. The line-up consisted entirely of senior players, all of whom save for their two World Cup finalists are Champions League winners. Few saved themselves, but one was called out far more than the others: Eden Hazard.
After the match, Carlo Ancelotti complained of the pitch, saying that it was ‘impossible to play’ on. No doubt it was not an advantage for Los Blancos or Hazard, but the Cacereno players did manage to exhibit far more than the Belgian.
Ancelotti had declared ahead of Real Madrid’s return to action that Hazard was looking good in training, and even said he thought he was better than the before the World Cup. His 67 minutes against Cacereno suggested the opposite.
Hazard put up a stat line that had nothing but consistency: 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 shots on goal, 0 shots off target, 0 shots blocked, 0 attempted dribbles, 0 crosses, 0 aerial battles won, 0 fouls, and 0 fouls won. Relevo said that there ‘no trace of him’, and described his participation as ‘non-existent’.
Pep Gil-Vernet of MD said that he wasted his umpteenth opportunity, saying Hazard did practically nothing. He was not the only one to point out that as soon as Hazard went off, Rodrygo Goes scored from his position, ‘order and concentration was enough for a team from Segunda RFEF to completely annul’ him.
‘Disappeared’ was the first word used by Marca’s Miguel Angel Lara. He signalled that the pitch was an issue, but that it wasn’t as if his performances were much better on the green carpet at the Santiago Bernabeu. His time at Real Madrid was classified as a ‘incredibly dark tunnel’, with ‘barely an hour of rescuable football left’.
Hazard still has another year left on his deal at Los Blancos, but if he continues like this, it would be no surprise to see Real Madrid move for a mutual termination. Clearly, there is little incentive for any club to consider paying much of his wages or a transfer fee for a forward that looks so lost.
Image via David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
