Hazard can hit great heights at Chelsea under ‘father’ Mourinho

“We can never transform these fantastic players and men into a competitive animal, a competitive machine. Not even his father wants [that]. We have just to bring him to a different level, working hard in training, which he’s doing.”

When asked whether he thinks Hazard is responding to that message, Mourinho was resolutely conclusive in his answer.

“Yes, yes, yes. He’s never afraid to play and take responsibility. But it’s not about that. It’s about him saying – today, I have to be decisive. What he says in that press interview, when he says ‘I’m not one of the five top players in the world’ – he can be, but he cannot be in a match where he doesn’t do something in the 90 minutes that makes him decisive.

Speaking about the Arsenal match at Stamford Bridge, a game in which summer signing Diego Costa notched, and fellow new recruit Cesc Fabregas came back to haunt his former club with a delightful assist for the striker, Mourinho impressed upon Hazard to be a game-changer, and not just focus on footballing aesthetics. It seemed the protege heeded his mentors’ advice. His mazy, direct run into the area bamboozled Arsenal defenders, and Laurent Koscielny fouled him for a penalty that he subsequently converted.

“The week before against Arsenal, I was on him every day – be decisive. Don’t be happy with doing nice things. Don’t be happy being up and down in the game. You have to do something in the game that wins the game for us. And he did. This is the point with Eden. The talent is amazing, and the human side of him – especially in the modern days, because I work with top players for 30 years – he is not from these times. He’s from the old times.”

It has long been known that the quality Mourinho values above anything in his players is hard work on the pitch, which includes his widemen putting a shift in to track back when his teams don’t have the ball. A reason why he has long been loyal to perhaps the less glamorous names, but still hugely effective players ‘the Special One’ has managed throughout his career. Prime case in point, Claude Makelele, who seldom made forays forward, but was extraordinarily disciplined and did the simple things probably better than anyone in the game at the time.

“I had some guys in my career – they didn’t want to [defend]. You try to build something behind them to protect,” Mourinho continued. ” [Hazard’s] problem is not that. He wants. The only problem is to be focused during the 90 minutes and understand when he has to, and when he doesn’t have to.

“I always say to him – you look to the situation. Sometimes you don’t need to [track back]. And you have to learn to read the game to know when you don’t have to. For example, if Matic is completely closed on the left side, and just behind him, I don’t want him to come. I want Matic to cope with the situation. I love to work with him. I love the kid. He will always have my support. He knows my nature. Our relationship is at a point where I can tell him anything. He knows I like him a lot. We are fine because of that.”

The trophy that has eluded Mourinho throughout his Chelsea career is the Champions League, which he has won at Porto and Inter Milan. Coming very close last season, reaching the semi-finals, the Blues maybe exceeded expectations, considering the slight lack of cutting edge they had in their squad then and no clinical striker.

Hazard can be vital to the Blues’ European credentials for seasons to come. They first must put three points on the board against Maribor.

True to his style Mourinho always takes it one game at a time and, with Hazard reading off the same blueprint that has delivered the Chelsea boss a multitude of trophies, the Belgian has every chance of becoming one of Europe’s greats. For that reason, plus many others, back Hazard at 6/1 to really step up in Costa’s absence and strike two or more at Stamford Bridge against minnows Maribor.