Eden Hazard was Chelsea’s golden boy last season, as he broke through the ranks at Chelsea to establish himself in the first-team, and is a certainty in any Chelsea team, unless unfit. On the other hand, Alexis Sanchez, who was touted to complete the Barcelona attack when he was signed two years ago, found himself restricted to the role of a substitute with the addition of Neymar last season. While Eden Hazard was Chelsea’s player of the year, Sanchez was the ostracized player who ended up being pushed out of Barcelona, in spite of his outstanding talent. Arsene Wenger saw a chance to relieve Sanchez of his misery and brought him to the Premier League with Arsenal.
Last season: Bring in the stats
Over last season, Hazard and Sanchez performed as per the attributes of their respective leagues. In the La Liga, teams tend to defend against Barcelona, which makes scoring and assisting easier, as compared to the Premier League, where opposing defenders make tackles and try to take the ball away from the attacker. In the La Liga, and especially with Barcelona, the ball remains in midfield, as the midfielders pick the moments when the opposing defenders are not focusing well enough to launch an attack and score, making the number of attacks fewer, but more potent. In the Premier League, teams tirelessly attack and try to score, and dribbling and successful take-ons bec0me necessary.
Eden Hazard will look to carry on from where he ended last season, with Chelsea. After having been given a guaranteed place on the left flank, with less pressure in terms of his role this season, expect him to live up to his potential of being one of the best left-wingers in the business. Last season, with the dearth of goals from Chelsea’s strikers, he had to score goals, in addition to providing assists, to save his team from drawing winnable games. He has pace, good dribbling ability, and his ability to cut in and score make him a lethal proposition for opposing defenders to curtail. This season, he has to be one of the focal points of Chelsea’s attack, as he will be involved in the formation of attacks alongside players such as Costa, Fabregas, Schurrle, Oscar, etc. This will be the season in which he could take Chelsea to glory, provided they play to their potential.
Alexis Sanchez was offered a get-out-of-jail card, and he accepted it willingly. Wenger has a barrage of creative midfielders who all deserve to be in the starting-XI. Sanchez has operated on the wings and as a sole striker for Arsenal so far. He has the pace, skills, energy and strength to play through the centre, and take on stronger defenders in the Premier League as compared to the La Liga. Alexis Sanchez proved that he can adapt to the Premier League, when the onus was on him to create or lead attacks for Chile in the recently-concluded World Cup. In the World Cup, Sanchez had to beat defenders who made him the scapegoat of their tackles, and he still performed well. Wenger turned Henry from a winger into a lethal striker, and there are signs that he could be doing that yet again, with Sanchez. Wenger might not be able to reap the dividends of playing Sanchez through the centre right now, but you could expect Sanchez to make an impact later on in the season, as soon as he adjusts to the demands of the Premier League.
Both players might not be comparable on the basis of last season’s performances, due to the differences in the La Liga and the Premier League, and the status of the teams for which they played. However, this season, both are playing in the same league, bringing them to an equal platform for comparison. Although Sanchez may not do as well as Hazard this season, as he is new to the Premier League, both players will be crucial to their respective team’s hopes of winning titles, by the end of this season.