Costa's departure has affected Hazard the most

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Bengaluru, March 6: The last two matches have been a trial by fire for Eden Hazard as Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte used him as a false number 9 in matches against Barcelona and Manchester City in which he has underwhelmed.

A definite conclusion that one can make from these two matches is that Hazard is not a player who thrives alone in attack. He needs others alongside him, especially players who are clever at creating space by pulling defenders away from him.

It would be wrong to blame Chelsea’s toothless display against Manchester City, solely on Hazard. Conte has to also take responsibility for setting his team up like David Moyes or Sam Allardyce would. Hazard cut a frustrated figure at the center of Chelsea’s attack as he was not given any service by Willian or Pedro.

The match would have gone in Chelsea’s favour had Alvaro Morata been in the form that he showed at the start of the season, but an injury has kept him out of rhythm and Conte does not trust him anymore.

This was evident when Conte brought Olivier Giroud in 75th minute and Morata in the 88th minute against Manchester City. Giroud’s introduction actually created Chelsea’s first attack of real significance, which came about after Hazard played off Girourd.

The real issue with Hazard is not the lack of support from Giroud or Morata. It is the quality of support he receives from the two and that is why he sorely misses Diego Costa.

The troublesome Spaniard Costa was not just the focal point of Chelsea’s attack but it was his snarling attitude that kept the opposition’s defence on their toes with his ability to drag defenders along with him which allowed Hazard to use his clever runs effectively.

Though Costa’s antics caused a big fuss to Conte, it is worth asking if Conte missed a trick by getting him sold instead of indulging a little in his shenanigans.

Chelsea might have not lost much money in replacing Costa with Morata but they have definitely lost the edge that Costa brought to their team. This is affecting Hazard’s performances as well. It is safe to say that Costa would have helped Chesea stay in the top 4 and without him they seem to be 5 points adrift from 4th.