Real Madrid News
Real Madrid winger’s place in the national team being questioned amidst struggles
While Eden Hazard may have been struggling endlessly at Real Madrid, his place in the Belgium national team has never come under threat.
The 31-year-old’s powers have been on the wane over the past three years since he joined Los Blancos, as a consequence of which his game-time has taken a huge hit.
In spite of his ordeals at the club level, Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has always placed his faith in the former Chelsea superstar, with Hazard even being the captain of the Red Devils.
However, according to latest reports from MARCA, the Real Madrid winger’s spot in the Belgium national is being questioned ahead of the World Cup due to his underwhelming form as well as fitness problems.
In a recent interview with RTBF, as relayed by the aforementioned outlet, Martinez continued to put his faith in Hazard, as he said:
“Hazard is still a very important player for the national team, that’s for sure. His experience, his influence over opponents, his ability to eliminate a man, to create danger… In this profile, he is still, in my opinion, one of the best in the world.”
However, the former Everton manager himself expressed doubts over whether Hazard can play continuously for a run of six or seven games in quick succession as would be needed at the World Cup.
“But now we have to ask ourselves if he can still play 90 minutes or seven games in a very short period of time. Everyone knows that Eden has played very few games for a long time and that has consequences,” he said.
So far this season, Hazard has played just four matches in all competitions for Real Madrid, scoring and assisting one goal apiece – both of which came in a single game against Celtic.
As for the Belgian national team, the 31-year-old has not scored a goal in nine matches.
Given that his game-time is unlikely to improve any time soon, question marks are bound to raise over whether he warrants a place in the Belgium team which has some talented stars like Charles De Ketelaere and Leandro Trossard waiting for an opportunity.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
