5 superstars who are causing tactical problems to their managers
It happens quite so often in the footballing world that teams take a gamble when making high-profile signings. While top players, who have enjoyed massive success at their former clubs, are expected to hit the ground running at their new ones, that is not always the case.
This is because even at the highest level, footballers vastly differ from one another in terms of their style of play. It is indeed very difficult to find a player whose profile fits a club's needs to the T. So it then becomes a game of balancing out the negatives and the positives.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five superstars who are causing tactical problems to their managers.
#5 Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Romelu Lukaku got off to an impressive start in his second Chelsea stint with a dominant performance in his debut against Arsenal. But in all fairness, Arsenal were just settling down in the new season and the less said about their defensive shape in the opening weeks of the season, the better.
Lukaku had a field day against them. But he hasn't come close to replicating those heroics since. The Belgian international has scored just four goals in 11 appearances so far for Chelsea this term.
Without many creative forces around him, Lukaku ends up getting isolated in the final third. Mason Mount has kicked into gear but he produced some of his best performances since Lukaku was sidelined with an injury.
With so many defensive players around him, the service Lukaku received was minimal. With Timo Werner, Chelsea are more fluid in their attacking transition because the German international's pace and link-up play are effective tools.
Also, with Lukaku in the side, Chelsea don't press as aggressively as they used to and it's not helping with their defensive transition. This has forced Chelsea to become a counter-attacking side when Lukaku is leading the line.
🗣"Maybe we have the chance that he is in the squad for the last minutes."
Thomas Tuchel isnt sure if Romelu Lukaku is 100% fit and recovered from his injury https://t.co/YKDCp2rV8r
#4 Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)
Since becoming Real Madrid's most expensive player in 2019, Eden Hazard's career has been rather underwhelming. It's even fair to ask if he is even a prominent player in the squad anymore just two seasons later.
Hazard's constant injury issues have hampered his progress at Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti experimented with multiple systems at the start of the season. He played Eden Hazard in a free role in attack but the Belgian international failed to make the most of it.
While he was effective at keeping things moving and played a number of key passes, the compromises were simply not worth the effect. Their attacking and defensive transitions were affected with Hazard on the pitch. He can no longer play as a winger.
The 30-year-old does not possess the same burst of pace from his younger days to help him win one-on-ones on a regular basis. He has also become very injury prone and for this reason alone, it is not safe to deploy him on the wings on a regular basis.
With Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema in top form, if Hazard is to be accommodated, he needs to play as an attacking midfielder. But as we all know, Ancelotti has now zeroed in on the 4-3-3 formation and very rarely uses a system that requires an attacking midfielder.
Control, chop, twist & finish.
🔵 Vintage Eden Hazard 👊
#TBT | #UCL | @hazardeden10 https://t.co/HqIXS2y7XC