Hazard had come off the back of a remarkable season with Chelsea as he helped the Blues finish third in the Premier League. His scintillating performances won him the PFA Young Player of the Year award, with the main gong going to Luis Suarez for his efforts with Liverpool.
After such a brilliant season, Hazard was tipped to shine for Belgium at the World Cup but he failed to play to the best of his ability. The Belgians crashed out at the quarter-final after a 1-0 defeat to Argentina.
Arsene Wenger believes the Hazard, who recently criticised his countries showing, could and should have performed better than he did, believing that it was a mental situation that stopped the former Lille man.
Wenger told the BeIN Sports: “No, he did not play as well as I know he could and in the Premier League he is an exceptional player and he is a fantastic player who makes things happen and I always had the idea that with Eden Hazard nothing affects him. In the big games he is great but in this tournament when Belgium really needed him he could not really deliver and I believe it’s mental.
“He is still young and the World Cup belongs to people between 25 and 30, you know, and we have seen Messi before going to World Cups and being anonymous. And whilst he was dominant for his club, he struggled for Argentina. So there is a huge pressure that is put on players in the World Cup and only the really experienced players can handle that.”
Eden Hazard attempted just four shots at the World Cup. What do you think?
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Written by Steve Milne
