Saul Niguez has explained why he thinks Eden Hazard has struggled to establish himself at Real Madrid since making the move from Chelsea.
Saul Niguez has explained why he thinks Eden Hazard has struggled at Real Madrid since making the move from Chelsea in 2019.
The 31-year-old failed to live up to expectations and the mammoth £88m price tag since signing for the La Liga giants.
He has scored just six goals and provided 10 assists in 61 appearances to date, and has contributed with just one goal in 18 games so far this season.
Hazard has been plagued with multiple injuries since making the switch, making it difficult for him to feature regularly. And Saul has an interesting theory as to why the Belgian has constantly struggled at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Spaniard was asked about the difference between playing in the Premier League and La Liga, and told Chelsea’s official website: “They are totally different.
Over there, it’s much more tactical, whereas here it’s more physical and a bit crazier. There’s more back and forth, it’s less about having control of the game and more about entertaining the fans.
“You can do things here that you really can’t do in La Liga. For example, I was talking to my friends the other day about Eden Hazard.
“When he was here, he was easily one of the best players in the world and then he goes to La Liga and has his own difficulties because it’s a totally different game.
“Here he had more one-vs-ones and two-vs-ones but in La Liga, because everyone knows how good his team is and how good he is, other teams make it much more difficult for him.
“Here it’s happening a bit in reverse, although I think it’s a bit easier to adapt from La Liga to the Premier League than from the Premier League to La Liga.”
Hazard had been linked with a switch back to the Premier League during the winter transfer window. According to El Nacional, Newcastle tabled a £33m which reportedly “met the expectations” of club president Florentino Perez but Hazard scuppered the transfer by saying no.
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