Former Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink expects the rest of Eden Hazard’s Euro tournament to be better than what he’s shown in the first two games in France, according to Squawka.
The ex-Dutch team manager has admitted that captain Hazard and fellow Chelsea team-mate Thibaut Courtois both played important roles in Belgium’s 3-0 win at the weekend over the Republic of Ireland.
After the heavy defeat to new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte’s Italy, there was a lot of negativity around the Belgian team, with people suggesting that a team of their calibre should be playing better than what they were. Speaking on Radio 5 Live, Hiddink said:
Hazard did what he had to do. He was not spectacular, but more a team player. Those players must grow into the tournament. Courtois didn’t have to much to do.
Hazard, who is captaining Belgium because of Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany’s absence, grabbed the third assist of the game against Ireland on Saturday evening.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Courtois managed to keep a clean sheet without having a save to make, as Martin O’Neil’s side didn’t manage a shot on the former Atletico Madrid man’s goal.
Hazard and co. take to the pitch once more on Wednesday afternoon to come up against Sweden, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic looking to become the first player to net in four consecutive European tournaments, following Cristiano Ronaldo’s failure to net in Portugal’s last game.
