Eden Hazard (Chelsea) vs Neymar (Barcelona)
Note: this is actually the part two of the comparison article which we published earlier.
Eden Hazard vs Luis Suarez – Is The Chelsea Winger As Good As El Pistolero?
Now, we move on as we look into Neymar Dos Santos of Barcelona and Eden Hazard of Belgium. They are probably the future of the beautiful game and we have often come across comparisons between the two players. But who is better?
Neymar with his characteristic hairstyle and nose tape has become a fashion icon and his performances on the field took a hit last year. This year though, he has been in starling form scoring in almost every other match. Yet issues with consistence and the issue of bogging down after initial outbursts seem to be a cause of concern. His antics-especially diving and over acting for a foul-has created many a negative opinion about the Brazilian Forward.
Neymar’s strengths are quite similar to that of Eden Hazard. Dribbling is certainly on top of that list. His passing too is something that not many forwards can boast. At the end of the day though, the writer feels that Eden Hazard, at least as of now, is a better player than Neymar and the very fact that we can’t compare them through a statistical point of view as they’re part of two different leagues makes it harder for us to compare. So let’s have a look without statistics..
- Eden Hazard is miles ahead of Neymar when it comes to defensive capabilities. Jose Mourinho stresses that each and every player played his part in defence as well. Mourinho actually sold Juan Mata, a two time Chelsea Player of the Year as he didn’t do his job defensively and Eden Hazard has learnt from that.
- On his day, Neymar’s dribbling skills are as good as anyone but on others, he looks as though he is holidaying and is pedestrian on the field. These are the times that you wonder whether you need to play him. Eden Hazard though, even if he has a bad day, (which is rare) ensures that he has a say on the match. And this is one reason why he is lethal day in and day out.
- Neymar’s antics on and off the field like diving, his nose tape and what not have made him many critics. His diving especially has damaged his image and has made referees cautious while making decisions involving him. These traits of Neymar certainly put Hazard ahead.
- Last but not the least, Hazard’s work rate is much more than Hazard’s. This is a follow up to point one actually as Mourinho’s tactics have made hazard work much more than his colleagues in the same position.
After having a look at the above mentioned points, it is clearly Hazard who is the better player among the two.
Now, we go back to step one. Is Hazard better than Suarez? At least as of now, no. Neymar? A certain yes. We have discussed in detail, I think and I’ve finally come to a conclusion and I do hope that you have too.