Dependable. Unfailing. Brilliant: Eden Hazard
There are but a few certainties Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho can count on in his life. The sun will rise when he wakes. He and Arsene Wenger will, at some point, exchange verbal blows. And through everything, Hazard will be there.
Always there. Always influential. Always dazzling. Consistently.
As Michael Cox points out, it's becoming something of a habit for the 24-year-old to be in this position:
In his four full Ligue 1 seasons, twice he won the Young Player of the Year award, and the other two seasons he won the overall award. In the final three seasons, he was in Ligue 1's team of the year.
Since moving to Chelsea, he won the Young Player of the Year award last year, was nominated for the overall award in both campaigns, as well as being in the PFA Team of the Year. Therefore, by the end of this campaign, it should be six seasons in a row in the Team of the Year, and six out of seven collecting an individual award.
He's started every Premier League match this season, playing the full 90 minutes on all but four occassions. He's rarely substituted. He's never dropped. He's never injured. The latter, despite being the most fouled player in the league by quite some margin - his 96 fouls suffered are 17 more than his nearest rival, Raheem Sterling.
That strength and durability, aided by the fact that his relatively small frame is powered by two pistons for legs, is mightily impressive. As are his numbers.
Almost every other player in the EPL has come under some criticism for an extended run of poor form at some point. Hazard? Not quite. His longest spell of the season without a goal or an assists runs just two matches.
Consistency.
theScore