Tuesday 28 July 2015 19:45, UK
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists Eden Hazard needs more protection from Premier League referees next season – but what do the stats say?
"In the Premier League last season Eden was very lucky not to break a leg. He could have been injured many, many times. I saw lots of players breaking legs and ankles with less than that."
Jose Mourinho was typically outspoken on the subject of Eden Hazard on Monday. The Chelsea manager spent much of last season demanding more protection for his prized asset, and he has renewed his campaign at the earliest opportunity ahead of the big kick-off.
"I don’t want to say names because last season is finished and let’s have a fresh start," added Mourinho. "I won’t name Mr A, Mr B or Mr C, but he had some very nasty tackles last year. I would like more protection for him."
Hazard, too, has had his say. "If they can protect me, it would be good for me," the Belgian said earlier this week. "They know now that I get a lot of kicks and I want to be protected by the referee.
"Sometimes I am in pain after games. I have to take some anti-inflammatories but I like to have the ball at my feet and when I have the ball at my feet, I get a lot of kicks."
Mourinho and Hazard certainly have a point. The stats show he was fouled 114 times in the Premier League last season – more than any other Premier League player – and over the last two years that number stands at 203, meaning he has drawn 46 more fouls than the second-placed Raheem Sterling.
With 180 dribbles completed last season, Hazard was by far the most effective dribbler in the Premier League, and his combination of rapid acceleration, balance and skill leaves defenders adopting cynical measures to stop him. "He is a player who can beat people and that can win one against one," said Mourinho last season.
"It’s normal that the teams have more attention with these kinds of players. It’s normal that some teams do double marking," he added. "The rules allow this. This is a tactical approach and no problem about it. But after that there are the fouls. And the fouls have to be punished. It’s as simple as that."
So, just how many fouls on Hazard were punished last season? According to Opta, 24 of the 114 fouls on the PFA Player of the Year led to a booking. That’s an average of a card every 4.8 fouls, and a percentage of 21 per cent of fouls leading to a booking.
Interestingly, those statistics indicate fouls on Hazard were in fact more frequently punished than those on the Premier League’s other most fouled players. Only 15.9 per cent of the 94 fouls on Sterling were punished, while Southampton winger Sadio Mane (17.1 per cent) and Arsenal duo Alexis Sanchez (16.7 per cent) and Santi Cazorla (14.8 per cent) also drew a lower ratio of cards.
So while there is no disputing the fact that Hazard is targeted by Premier League opposition, Mourinho’s suggestion that referees give him a particularly rough deal may be wide of the mark.
In fact, officials already seem to be making more of an effort to protect Hazard. In 2013/14 only 10 of 89 fouls on the 24-year-old were punished with cards – a ratio of just 11.2 per cent compared to last season’s 21 per cent. Mourinho's protests, it seems, are not falling on deaf ears.
Hazard is sure to be on the receiving end of more rough treatment from Premier League defenders this season, but while Mourinho still feels a sense of injustice, the stats suggest referees are already granting him greater protection than most.
Watch Hazard in action when Chelsea face Barcelona in the International Champions Cup live on Sky Sports 1 HD at 1am on July 29
