Why Mourinho’s Gamble To Drop Hazard Paid Off

Last Wednesday night, Chelsea sailed to victory with a 3-0 defeat over German side Schalke in the Champions League. The game was well played by the blues, and in it, fans finally got to see what new summer signing Samuel Eto’o was capable of. He netted two goals, while fellow striker Demba Ba scored the final, giving Chelsea the three-goal advantage. The three points from this win put Chelsea in first place in the Group E standings, which is pretty good considering they dropped points early on in the season, losing their opening match of the group stages to FC Basel.

It was a great win from the Blues, they played beautifully, but there was one thing missing. Chelsea mid-fielder Eden Hazard was dropped from the starting line-up prior to the match. Most people assumed it was due to injury but once the match was finished the truth had come out. Jose Mourinho dropped Hazard from the starting line up the day of the match for missing a training session the day before. It was also learned later that the reason for Hazard missing the training was due to a passport issue after having spent the some time in France. I, as well as many other people probably agree, that Mourinho did the right thing, dropping Hazard from the line up that night. Teams with strong leaders are always successful, and Mourinho needed to prove that no matter how important the match, rules need to be obeyed, and if not, there would be consequences.

As I said before, Chelsea went on to a beautiful win, but I can’t help but wonder what fans would have thought on the matter if the match hadn’t gone that well. If Chelsea had lost would Mourinho still be praised for dropping such an important player from such an important match? It really is hard to say, and as a Chelsea fan myself; I can honestly say that I would have been upset. But then of course passion can sometimes cloud our judgment. Like it or not, Morinho did the right thing.

There needs to be discipline, without it the players would have no respect for him, and things like this are the reason why Jose Mourinho is so well respected in the world of football. Maybe next time, Eden Hazard will think twice about taking little trips so close to a Champions League match. If anything, it should have taught him that not only does his manager mean business, but that his spot in the midfield is by no means permanent, and that Chelsea can get along just fine without him if needed. 

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