The Hazard Plan

“It was the worst season of my career”he was lamenting Hazard as soon as the League was over, while the echoes of celebration still echoed. The Belgian, who reappeared after relapsing from his ankle operation, had only been able to play as a starter five of the 11 games that remained to the championship after the break. The damaged area continues to swell, the player does not feel safe and Zidane preferred to have him between cottons with a view to the most important game that remains for Madrid, on August 7 (21:00, Movistar Champions League) against the City in the Etihad. Madrid can only win to qualify for the Lisbon finals. So, see Hazard yesterday working at the same pace as his teammates was the best news for the French coach.

During the holiday week, a strict work plan together with one of Madrid's physical therapists. Draining the area to prevent the accumulation of synovial fluid is the first step so that the player does not feel pain. Presumably it will be a starter against City. He will arrive without overload of efforts (beyond those of training, in which his teammates take great care to get strong). Hazard underwent ankle surgery on March 5 in Dallas. A delicate surgery, since Hazard has had a titanium plate implanted there since June 2017.

Zidane's hope is that Hazard repeat a staging after this break, similar to the one he had in his reappearance against Eibar after confinement, in which he was the most outstanding player. The idea, anyway, is not to force him too much this week. There is a belief on the part of the technical staff that, despite the fact that they recently had to remove synovial fluid from the area, being an ankle operated twice, the Belgian's main problem is in the psychological fear to relapse.

Eden Hazard was not without reason when he said that this has been his worst season as a professional. It has been, at least, since it is installed in the elite. Last year, without going any further, he scored 21 goals in 52 games with Chelsea. In this, with Madrid, he has only been able to make 1 in 21. With his signing, Madrid resumed the path of the galactics after a period in which Christian and Bale they had been the heads of the project. It is still expected that, at 29 years old (the same with which Zidane arrived) the Belgian may be.

Few players can be more comfortable than Hazard in a match against an English team. He came to play 302 matches with Chelsea, 245 of them in the Premier, and 13, against City itself (he won five, as many as he lost, and tied three). Zidane, on the other hand, hopes to know if he can finally count on the Belgian to make his eleven, in which he will foreseeably form an attack partner with Benzema and where they will both be backed by four midfielders (Casemiro, Valverde, Modric and Kroos), although the possibility of the trident is not ruled out … After winning the League everything is optimism. The Champions, and even less, with Hazard ready.