Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino can find his own Eden Hazard using Jose Mourinho ploy
Mauricio Pochettino, the manager of Chelsea, can use a Jose Mourinho technique to locate his own Eden Hazard.
COMMENT: With a little help from Jose Mourinho, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino can find his own Eden Hazard.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is aiming to discover his own Eden Hazard in his squad by following Jose Mourinho’s lead. The Argentine coach has been working hard to assist Mykhaylo Mudryk adjust to life in the Premier League, starting the £88 million forward in the previous two games as he seeks to unlock the Ukrainian’s potential at Stamford Bridge.
Since his big-money move to west London in January, the former Shakhtar Donetsk star has struggled, failing to score in 23 outings and producing only two assists. Fans of other teams have made Mudryk the punchline of their jokes, but Pochettino is keen to make the youngster a success.
Perhaps this is why he has started giving one-on-one instruction to help him improve his confidence in front of goal after finding the transition from Ukraine to England tough, both culturally and in terms of sport. Hazard struggled with it when he arrived at Chelsea as a 21-year-old, but with guidance from Rafa Benitez at first and then Mourinho, he turned things around.
It is easily forgotten since Hazard became all Chelsea dreamed he would be in his seven seasons at Stamford Bridge after purchasing him from Lille for £32 million in July 2012. But Hazard had some hiccups in his first year in west London, which Mourinho tried to iron out when he returned to the club in 2013.
Mourinho benched Hazard for a Premier League match after forgetting the timing of a training session and holding a grudge against the winger for leaving his passport at home for a European match. Hazard discovered the hard way that he couldn’t replicate them.
