LA LIGA’S biggest game yet this season looks an ideal opportunity for Real Madrid’s newest galactico Eden Hazard to silence murmurs around his performances so far, while putting his side into a commanding position in the early La Liga table.
Hazard is likely to be one of up to eight ‘derbi debutants’ on Saturday evening at the Wanda Metropolitano – with both Atletico and Madrid having reshaped their squads last summer, to questionable effect so far, even if they both go into the game riding high at the top of the early La Liga table.
It is fair to say that the Belgium international has not hit the ground running in the Spanish capital. Reports from Madrid’s pre-season programme claimed that the 28-year-old had arrived at camp seven kilos overweight. He looked sluggish through July’s International Champions Cup schedule in the US. He was one of the Blancos stars embarrassed after Atletico actually decided to the ‘competition’ seriously and hammered their neighbours 7-3 win in New Jersey.
There was an impressive solo goal in the team’s final warm-up game against Red Bull Salzburg. But then on the eve of La Liga opening weekend, he sustained an injury that saw him miss the first month of the campaign proper. That allowed previously outcast Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez to re-establish themselves as rivals for a starting spot in Zidane's 'Gala XI'.
Last week’s 0-3 Champions League group opener defeat at Paris Saint Germain was not an auspicious moment for a first competitive start. Hazard was among the many Madrid players to look as if they were not sure exactly where they should be playing, before he was substituted mid-way through the second half.
Like most of his teammates, Hazard did look sharper last weekend at Sevilla, where he was impressive in a hard-fought 1-0 victory. He drew a decent save from home goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik with the game scoreless, and was especially prominent late on when showing better fitness and intensity by regularly carrying the ball forward dangerously to ease the pressure on his defence.
Most of Madrid’s big names were then rested for Wednesday’s 2-0 at home to Osasuna, which allowed Brazilian teenagers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo to demonstrate their quality. Both are long-term bets by club president Florentino Perez, who will also have been happy with the returns to form of Bale and James. Hazard is definitely a Zidane pick – which matters amid the always tangled politics at the Bernabeu.
Perez will however have been delighted when the 28-year old's status as a top player was underlined with his trip to Milan on Monday night to take his place in the FIFA Best XI – alongside new teammates Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Luka Modric. Those three have perhaps already seen the peaks of their careers, while Hazard has to quickly start persuading us that his best is still to come.
Although some around the Bernabeu were expecting more of an instant impact from the new holder of Cristiano Ronaldo’s old number seven shirt, Zidane was definitely always going to show patience in a player who he had tracked for many years.“You know what I have always thought of Hazard – that he is a decisive player, can make the difference, and he wants to show that at Madrid,” Zizou said last week before the Paris game. “I believe he will be a very important player for Madrid, and have a formidable future here.”
Another factor for Saturday at the Wanda is that Hazard’s marker is likely to be new Atletico right-back Kieran Trippier. He often got the better of the Englishman during their direct battles in Chelsea v Tottenham games over the years [four goals in six games] and also came out on top in the third/fourth placed match at World Cup 2018.
Trippier’s first few games in the Atletico team went pretty great, but Diego Simeone’s new look defence has looked a good bit shakier lately. The former Burnley man was rested for Atletico’s 2-0 win at Mallorca on Wednesday, when replacement Santiago Arias did very well, but still seems sure to come back into the XI on Saturday.
Joao Felix’s similarly fast start in an Atletico jersey following his €126 million arrival last summer has slowed somewhat as reality caught up with the early hype. The 19-year-old continues to mark each game he plays with some startling moments of skill though, and was rewarded with a slightly fortunate second goal for the club at Mallorca midweek. Like
Hazard, his price-tag means an expectation he can impose himself on the biggest occasions.
The tightness of the early table means that a win for either Madrid or Atletico would put them into prime position. Or a draw could allow Barcelona to make up ground, assuming Ernesto Valverde's side can win at Getafe earlier on Saturday. It already looks a potentially important few hours in the title race around the Spanish capital's M40 ringroad.
Zidane insisted Madrid sign Hazard for “decisive” games just like this one. Madrid have yet to get much return on the €100 million they spent to get him last summer, so the meeting with the neighbours would be a good moment to repay a chunk of that change.
