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Dries Mertens was one of the many masterstrokes of Maurizio Sarri’s time at Napoli and Eden Hazard is currently taking up a similar position within the Italian’s Chelsea side after a glittering performance against Cardiff on Saturday.
Mertens, Hazard’s fellow countryman, joined Napoli under Rafa Benitez as a tricky winger after impressing in the Eredivisie with PSV and his start to life in Italy was relatively successful, scoring 11 league goals in his first campaign for the club.
However, it was not until his time working under Sarri did he really find his form in front of goal, in what many are considering his twilight years, with Mertens set to turn 32 next year.
A knee injury sustained by Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik forced Sarri to re-evaluate his plans in Naples during the 2016-17 season and Sarri would go on to make a tactical decision that revolutionised Mertens’ game and the Napoli team.
Milik and Mertens are by no means a straight swap, in fact, they could not be further apart in terms of style of play. The former is an imposing, physical striker who knows his role well.
Mertens, who stands at just 5ft 7in, on the contrary boasts incredible technical ability, dazzling pace and traits that makes him a nightmare for the defenders.
The decision was simply a stroke of genius that saw the forward net 34 goals in 46 matches in all competitions, all while drawing comparisons to the infamous Diego Maradaona for the role he was playing in their title push under Sarri.
The Italian earned plenty of plaudits from his time in Italy, his Sarrismo football be awed by fans all around Europe, but it’s the 59-year-old’s work with Mertens that was one of the defining elements of his reign in Italy.
From the moment Sarri’s arrival was confirmed, two and two were put together and many were expecting Hazard to step into a similar role.
Not only are the pair international teammates but they also both possess similar physical and technical traits, the only difference is Hazard’s room to grow even more.
Tactically, Hazard starts the game much deeper compared to Mertens but Chelsea’s main man often drifts inside and finds himself in the number 10 position, looking to get into the box and create shooting opportunities.
At the age of 27, Hazard is entering his so called ‘prime years’ and Sarri appears to be the perfect coach to take him to that next level.
The one serious complaint you can stick to Hazard in recent years is the lack of a clinical, instinctive nature in and around the penalty box and in his inability to take the shot at goal rather than the extra pass. That was not the case against Cardiff on Saturday.
Whilst the level of opponent cannot be ignored, Hazard has started the season in tremendous form, with seven goals in five games this season both club and country, with his form showing no signs of slowing down at Stamford Bridge.
There were murmurs of a move to Real Madrid for Hazard over the summer but Sarri has made it clear from day one that he views the Belgian as his own personal challenge and he looks to take him to the next level in his career.
Speaking after the 4-1 victory over Cardiff, Sarri described the 27-year-old as the best player in Europe.
I thought he was one of the best players in Europe, but now I change my mind that he is the best.
With Ronaldo misfiring at Juventus, that is a personal title that Hazard himself will have his eyes on but may still be some way off just yet. But the claims from Sarri are far from unbelievable and very much attainable for the Belgian in what could be a very defining season in his career.
The post Hazard becoming Sarri’s Mertens at Stamford Bridge appeared first on Read Chelsea.
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| Article Name | How Eden Hazard is quickly becoming Sarri's Dries Mertens at Chelsea |
| Description |
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| Author Name | Candyboy |
| Published On | September 16, 2018 |
| Post Category |
Chelsea
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