Nobody can deny that there was a huge vacancy when Chelsea’s star, Eden Hazard finally realized his lifelong dreams of working with Zinedine Zidane and playing for Real Madrid in the Summer of 2019.
Having illuminated a frequently utilitarian Chelsea team for 7 trophy-laden years and 110 goals and 92 assists later, the effervescent Belgian was destined for tremendous aspects.
That left the Blues with a large space in the squad and with a transfer ban, the west London club couldn’t replace its talisman for a calendar year. Despite that, the club’s sequence did all to remedy the glaring requirement to replace creativity and Hazard’s goals.
Then the Summer came and Chelsea went in mainly in the attacking department. As you may have read German pair Timo Werner and Kai Havertz followed after the pre-contract signing with Hakim Ziyech, through the gate at Stamford Bridge. Werner’s successful season saw him getting interested from many top clubs but he finally joined Chelsea.
While those comings probably provoked excitement, initially it was not clear that who had the potential to emulate their ancestor. Havertz was only 21 years old and it remained to be recognized whether Werner’s style of playing would suit the Premier League, Ziyech was coming from the lowly Eredivisie.
However, only 13 games in the latter are displaying that he is the perfect fit to replicate Hazard’s numbers at the very slightest. Spotlighting especially off the left – just like the former RB Leipzig man has performed this season – the Belgian notched 24 assists and 13 goals in all competitions in his debut season.
Warner obviously won’t match Hazard’s two dozen assists because he was signed for his goals, he has proved that creativity is the next biggest element of his game.
In the past three seasons, the 24-year-old has contributed at least 10 assists, both from the left and from a central striker role. That left flank, which Hazard made his own during the descent portion of a decade at Stamford Bridge, may well come out to be his best stance in Lampard’s system should Abraham’s form persist.
The two-goal victory against Newcastle was one example in this season, despite Werner missing several big chances.
As when the clock ticked to the 65th minute at St. James’ Park, there looked like to be a glitch in the matrix. Only the replay of slow-motion disclosed what really had come to pass and that recalled the supporters of Hazards’ solo runs in Blue Jersey.
Being true to his nickname, Werner had accumulated the ball in his half before sprinting forward, observing the mere yards of capacity between the rocketing and defenders towards the penalty area. The defence of the opponent couldn’t do anything to stop him poking the ball into the way of Chelsea’s number nine, who readily scored the goals.
There is no need to confess that Werner doesn’t even come close to Hazard in terms of skill and that is completely an indescribable ability to give joy through his movements and touches. But those eight seconds on the hill high above Newcastle centre brought back fond memories for all Chelsea’s fans of their retired number 10 at his flying, impish nicest.
The finger was pointed at Werner’s subdued displays in Chelsea’s two tremendous games so far this season, a defeat and draw against Liverpool and Man Utd respectively, the kinds of games Hazard would develop in.
While logic dictates that these are encounters of the early season and over time, German is going to grow into them as he has acclimatized to the Premier League, a recovery of 5 goals and one assist in 26 blended games against the big boys Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund during the time in his homeland not gonna fill fans and supporters with confidence.
By the period Hazard’s Stamford Bridge career attained its natural conclusion in 2019, he had 29 goals against the ‘big six’ across all competitions. Sunday’s mammoth top of the table clash with Tottenham will give an early chance to set the record straight.
Werner can’t replicate almost every Hazard outing but if he continues with his current rate(and glues around), he will have every opportunity of emulating the precious Belgian’s goal-scoring and creativeness, even if those extraordinary moments are scarce. That would be ideal to secure his place in the heart of Chelsea’s fans for years to come.
