Why Eden Hazard Is the Biggest Winner in Antonio Conte's New-Look Chelsea

STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON — Let’s not get carried away just yet, but Eden Hazard’s looking rather good for Chelsea right now, isn’t he?

The Belgian’s recent form has had shades of 2014/15 about it, and we all know how that ended—for him and the Blues. Short of predicting Hazard is going to win Chelsea the title under Antonio Conte’s new regime, his performances of late are breeding the thing that has been absent for too long: confidence.

We’re seeing a more self-assured Hazard, and it’s helping his team-mates rediscover something resembling their best. The trust is beginning to build in this Chelsea side, and we can expect them to challenge at the right end of the table once again.

That has disappeared in the past year or so. The Blues were that disappointing and inconsistent; we’ve seen too many false dawns. Victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last season hinted at Chelsea turning a corner under Guus Hiddink, only for disappointment to follow with a lack of edge and desire as the season dragged on.

The hangover seems to have passed now. Conte has revitalised the team, with Hazard being at the heart of what they are achieving creatively.

Indeed, we can use the No. 10 as a barometer for Chelsea as a club. When he has the sort of spring in his step that we saw in the 4-0 demolition of Manchester United on Sunday, it’s replicated throughout the team. For those times when he’s seemingly disinterested, it can spread like a virus. Hazard dictates the energy and flow at Stamford Bridge.

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The good news from a Chelsea perspective is that we’re seeing much more of the former this term, and it’s no coincidence it has all come about since Conte switched the way he has his team playing.

Gone are Hazard’s defensive responsibilities in Chelsea’s new 3-4-3; the manager has instead unleashed his inner child and told the Belgian to get back to playing his football without looking over his shoulder.

"For me, I play the same way in the garden and on the pitch in a big stadium," Hazard told the official Chelsea matchday programme ahead of the clash with United. "I don’t feel pressure, I just feel the passion and I try to be the best I can because that is my job."

It seems a case of round pegs, round holes under Conte. With Marcos Alonso on the left side of Chelsea’s four-man midfield playing the wing-back role, it’s bringing balance to the side. We’re still in the infancy of Conte’s reign and this new system, but the benefits are clear to see.

By asking his players to operate in areas they’re familiar with, Conte is beginning to get the best out of them. And it’s working best for Hazard, who has scored twice in three matches since Conte hit the reset button.

The Belgian has craved playing more centrally, and now that he is, he is repaying Conte’s faith in him. He looks as dangerous as he’s ever been, not only supporting Diego Costa in attack but playing further forward than the Spain international at times.

It was a factor in the 3-0 defeat of Leicester City that preceded another impressive victory over United. Costa may have been the striker on paper, but it was Hazard who spent more time than any other Chelsea player as the furthest forward. Against United, it was a similar story, where Hazard’s stats showed he ended the game side by side with Costa, almost as a second striker.

"This is my place," he continued in the Chelsea programme. "I don’t play wide in this system and I try to score."

Hazard did that against Leicester, following it up against United by picking up the ball in a similar area of the pitch to punish Chelsea’s opponents.

While each of those goals was executed differently, the principle remained the same; Conte is making Hazard a threat in the final third, where the real damage is caused. He’s becoming a presence in central areas, which is resulting in him having more of an impact.

By playing more centrally, team-mates are picking Hazard out in the opponents' half. He’s been given the creative licence to perform his job effectively, which is paying off with the goals return we’ve seen. Hazard already has four to his name in the Premier League this term—that equals his tally for 2015/16 in its entirety.

He had his issues with injury—a hip problem plagued him for long spells—but his use on the flank was just as much of a hindrance.

Hazard isn’t a defender, and his lapses in defensive positions were costly for Chelsea at times last season. In fact, those same concerns were being raised even when he was winning the personal accolades.

Without wing-backs, it was a key part of his game, whether he was suited to it or not. By allowing him to occupy those central areas, though, Conte has solved the problem in an instant. Hazard’s able to think about what’s happening in front of him, not behind.

In allowing Hazard to express himself, the fun is gradually returning to the way Chelsea play. Hazard speaks of not feeling the pressure of a full stadium, and it seems others aren’t, too. United and Leicester have been significant casualties of this, and if they continue as they have been in October, there are going to be many more.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.