Chelsea fans can breathe easily again. Eden Hazard has returned to the form that won him England’s Player of the Year in 2014/15.
The Belgian has been sensational since the start of October in a run that coincided with manager Antonio Conte’s switch to a 3-4-3 formation.
Five straight wins, 16 goals scored, zero conceded – that’s title-winning form.
Hazard has been the key player in that run. The formation switch has given him more freedom, but something else seems to have clicked within the Belgian.
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He put in one sensational display at Euro 2016, in the 4-0 win over Hungary, that suggested he was leaving a poor 2015/16 season behind him. He started this campaign in pretty patchy form, but Saturday's performance in the 5-0 win over Everton was even better than that against Hungary. It is fair to say it was the best individual display in the Premier League this season.
Hazard appears to be playing the game with the fast-forward button on. The way he can cut inside and get a shot off at pace does not even give defenders a chance to stop him. Counting international games, he now has seven goals in his last seven appearances.
It is all good news for Chelsea, who looked like they would struggle to mount a serious title challenge a month ago, having been thrashed 3-0 by Arsenal.
Diego Costa is also putting in some of the best performances since he joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid two years ago.
Conte’s formation is different to the majority of English teams who set up with back four and at the moment, it is working.
They have two games approaching that could confirm Chelsea’s title credentials, matches against two of the league’s great tacticians: home to Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur and a trip to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
That pair will be watching replays and devising a tactical plan to stop Hazard and this Chelsea juggernaut. Whether they can is another matter.
Burnley keep surprising
How long before Sean Dyche is poached by a bigger club? The Burnley manager continues to overachieve with a team who, based on resources, should probably be mid-table in the second-tier Championship.
Burnley’s promotion to the top flight in 2013/14 came ahead of teams such as Queens Park Rangers and Derby County who had spent way more in the transfer market.
Although they went straight back down the following season, Dyche’s philosophy and approach have not wavered.
He is getting the best out of his players and the club stand a good chance of staying up this season, given the troubles of some of the other sides at the foot of the table.
Burnley’s success is based on the resolute defending of their back five and their home form – only Chelsea have won more games on their own turf than Dyche’s men. If Burnley can start to get results on the road they could even be looking at a top-10 finish.
Dyche should be one of the first names on the list for the next big club looking for a new manager.
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