There seem to be some problems in Real Madrid’s squad as manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted that he doesn’t talk with Eden Hazard. This came after Hazard himself said that there is no communication between the both.
After Hazard retired from the Belgian national team, he gave an interview with Belgian media outlet RTBF Sport, where he spoke about not playing enough and how he doesn’t speak with Ancelotti anymore.
He said, “Me and Ancelotti? There is respect but I’m not going to lie and say we talk to each other because we don’t talk to each other. I miss playing football. I want to play and I want to have fun.”
Eden Hazard: “For me, I will still be at Real Madrid next season — but you never know”, tells @RTBFsport 🚨⚪️ #RealMadrid
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 13, 2023
▫️ “Me and Ancelotti? There is respect but we don’t talk to each other”.
▫️ “I miss playing football. I want to play. I want to have fun”. pic.twitter.com/WKLexMqCvB
Obviously, this raised some suspicion among Real Madrid fans as Ancelotti is known for his good man-management skills. He confirmed the statements when asked about them on Tuesday.”
Speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference ahead of the UCL clash against Liverpool he said, “Look, it’s not that we have a cold relationship, but Hazard is right when he says we don’t talk a lot.”
“The most important thing for me is that he respects me, as I respect him.”
He was also asked why Hazard doesn’t get much game time compared to others. He responded, “Why doesn’t Hazard play? Because there’s a lot of competition. In his position, there’s a player who is doing really well in Vinicius.”
Ancelotti: “Hazard statement? He has been honest, we don’t talk much but the most important is to respect each other” ⚪️🇧🇪 #RealMadrid
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 14, 2023
“I can guarantee that he can still help us at Real Madrid, for sure. I thank Eden as he’s always been respectful”. pic.twitter.com/Qf58vYKWyV
Indeed Real Madrid is stacked up front in attack with the likes of Vinicius, Rodrygo, Asensio, and Benzema all ahead of Hazard in the pecking order. Though the squad does lack some creativity on the pitch sometimes, still Hazard remains on the bench. He has only played 67 out of 1710 minutes after the World Cup.
What went wrong with Eden Hazard?
The former Chelsea superstar decided to move to Real Madrid as a higher calling of his career in 2019 for an expensive fee of £ 103.5 million. But long spells of injury along with fitness issues due to the player’s lack of seriousness in training and unhealthy habits led to him not performing like he used to do.
With only 6 goals and 6 assists in very few games across four seasons, Hazard has fallen from grace. The skillful winger that used to demolish defenses in the Premier League is now a bench warmer at Real Madrid. He has scored only one goal in six appearances this season, and in the previous season when Madrid won three important trophies, Hazard had a goalless campaign.
Real Madrid will now face Liverpool in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 fixture. The first leg at Anfield saw Real Madrid butcher Liverpool 5-2. Liverpool will be hoping to produce a miracle at the Bernabeu while it is expected of Real Madrid to finish things here tonight.
What do you think about Eden Hazard? Do you think Carlo Ancelotti is right in his decision to bench Hazard? Let us know in the comments down below.
