Team of the Season – Eden Hazard

For the second successive season, the ever-reliable Eden Hazard racked up 14 goals and ten assists as Chelsea clinched the title at a canter. The Belgian delivered attacking returns with metronomic regularity for Jose Mourinho’s men, never going more than two matches without producing points, whilst a change in the Bonus Points System boosted his appeal further.

The Statistics

Hazard kicked off the season in a steady yet unspectacular fashion, chalking up three goals and two assists in the first 10 Gameweeks. With new team-mate Cesc Fabregas delivering a goal and nine assists over the same period, there was a feeling that the Spaniard would provide real competition for our attentions, with Hazard dropping slightly in price from 10.0 to 9.9 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game.

Hazard’s subsequent ten starts – which harvested five goals and three assists – soon had Fantasy managers scrambling for his services, though, as his cost rose to 10.7 by the time Gameweek 21 came around. A further six goals and five assists followed in the remaining 18 fixtures, engendering a peak value of 11.4 in Gameweek 35.

Among the full roster of Premier League midfielders, only Alexis Sanchez (12 goals) netted more than Hazard (14), while the Belgian’s ten assists positioned him joint-fourth in that regard. The former Lille starlet ended the season as one of only three players (the other two being Sergio Aguero and David Silva) to reach double figures in both goal and assists, emphasising his dual threat.

Hazard’s wealth of attacking returns granted him the highest total score (233) of any player, ahead of Aguero (215) and Sanchez (207). The winger’s most productive Fantasy season in a Blues strip was predicated on consistency of returns, rather than explosive bursts of form. To illustrate, the PFA Player of the Year contributed to more than a single strike on just two occasions – when he grabbed goal and an assist in Gameweeks 16 and 31 – and failed to score more than once in any of his 38 starts.

On the flip side, Hazard was a prime candidate for captaincy throughout the campaign due to his consistency. Drawing blanks in only 16 of his 38 appearances, he enjoyed a wealth of bonus points (42) – 10 more than next-best Harry Kane. This, in turn, gave him a points per game average (ppg) of 6.1, which was second only to Aguero’s 6.5.

The Prospects

Casting an eye over Hazard’s progression since making the switch to Stamford Bridge three years ago illuminates the consistency of his output – he contributed to 24 goals in the past two seasons and 25 in the one before that. The afore-mentioned changes to the BPS merely heighten Hazard’s appeal for the campaign ahead and there’d be no surprise to see him move to 11.0 or 11.5 when the Player Price List is rolled out in July.

Given his reliability of both starts and Fantasy returns – in addition to spot-kick duties – it will be difficult to look beyond the Belgian. Certainly, Fabregas and Oscar will offer cheaper options in the Blues midfield but, as evidenced last term, Hazard more than justifies the extra outlay – he ultimately finished 68 points ahead of the Spaniard.

Up front for the Blues, Diego Costa’s average of 5.8 ppg is almost on a par with the winger’s, though with Aguero likely to be the prime Fantasy choice amongst the premium forwards, it remains to be seen whether many will look to Costa as a route into Mourinho’s attack. Having missed 12 fixtures through injury or suspension, the Spain international is a far less reliable candidate than the Belgian, and with the likes of Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry offering secure options in defence, Costa – in spite of his 20 goal-haul – faces a tough task to usurp Hazard as the chief route into Chelsea’s attack.