Under Mourinho, that meant tracking back, running off the ball to close down the opposition and making decoy runs to confuse defenders, even if it meant not getting the ball. It took some time to ingrain his methods into Hazard, but the Portuguese eventually got the world-class star he had been looking for.
By the end of Chelsea’s 2014-15 title-winning season, Hazard had notched 19 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions – 14 in 34 in the Premier League. But the effort he had put into becoming an all-round winger, who was now trusted to track back and help out defensively, proved to Mourinho he could be a team player – in addition to being an incredibly-gifted one.
He took Hazard under his wing when he desperately needed to take his ability to the next level – and that is what Pochettino is doing now with Mudryk. Taking a leaf out of the Mourinho playbook, he has concocted a crossbar challenge game with the Ukrainian to help him enjoy his football again, and the Argentinian believes it can help improve his confidence to end his goal drought.
