Didn’t impress against Cacereno on Tuesday
Carlo Ancelotti kept his word and gave Eden Hazard the opportunity to start in Real Madrid‘s Copa del Rey duel against Cacereno on Tuesday.
However, the Belgian failed to live up to expectations in the 68 minutes that he spent on the Estadio Principe Felipe pitch and was replaced by Real Madrid prodigy Alvaro.
Meanwhile, his fellow forwards Rodrygo and Marco Asensio were particularly active throughout the match, as they both demonstrated professionalism and commitment in the game against the Segunda RFEF side.
His statistics at the Estadio Principe Felipe were underwhelming, as Hazard recorded zero attempted dribbles, no shot at all and no fouls. He also lost the ball five times and managed just 24 touches.
Ancelotti explains Hazard’s poor display
Carlo Ancelotti complained after the game about the state of the pitch on Tuesday and stressed that it’s not easy for him to rate his players based on their performances under these conditions.
“You can’t play football,” Ancelotti noted.
“For me it’s not football, it’s another sport.
“It’s nice because small teams can fight and compete with bigger teams.
“It’s good for the fans, but the fans also want to see beautiful matches.
“I liked [Hazard]. It’s difficult to evaluate players individually, it was impossible to play.
“Smaller players like Hazard or Rodrygo suffer more, but he delivered.”
When will Hazard leave Real Madrid?
After failing to impress with his performances for Belgium in the 2022 World Cup, Hazard is expected to be up for sale this summer, with his contract expiring in 2024.