Assessing Eden Hazard's Progress at Chelsea

Whenever a young player arrives at a club for a big fee, there's always an element of doubt that creeps into the minds of supporters.

They're not quite sure what to expect. Is is he good enough? Is he ready yet? And most importantly, is he worth the money?

The hype surrounding Eden Hazard prior to his £32 million transfer from Lille to Chelsea in the summer of 2012 had a similar tone to it, although any doubts were soon put to bed after an impressive debut against Wigan Athletic.

If that game wasn't enough to win over fans—Hazard got an important assist when winning a penalty and was a general nuisance throughout the 90 minutes—then what followed certainly did.

Chelsea looked unstoppable in the early stages of 2012-13, with their new arrival helping himself to four assists in his first three games.

He was in scintillating form and it was to continue throughout the season, despite the upheaval off the pitch when Roberto Di Matteo was replaced by Rafa Benitez as manager.

If he thought the pressure would be tough in his first season at Stamford Bridge, the Belgian is dealing with a far greater weight of expectation this time out, though.

He is now playing for a manager in Jose Mourinho who expects more from his players than Hazard has potentially ever given in his career.

Not only is he required to assist goals and score them himself, he is part of a team that defends as a unit and his role from midfield is essential to Mourinho's philosophy proving successful.

We're seeing that too, with Hazard already recording six interceptions in his 12 Premier League appearances, playing his part.

It's an area that he can still do much better, yet the signs are there that he is developing in a key area under the guidance of Mourinho.

There is always a concern that when a player adopts a new perspective such as that which Hazard has been forced to this season, it will impact other areas of his game. Only for Chelsea's Belgian, it hasn't.

He has two assists in 2013-14, four less than he had at this time last season, but his goals tally is considerably better.

Twice Hazard had hit the back of the net by mid-November in 2012-13. This season he has double.

What we're seeing is a player becoming more direct and having more of an end product. Hazard remains a threat while he is on the ball, but with the goals he is now scoring, he is even more dangerous.

It's not only that. We just need to look at the goals Hazard has scored in domestic competitions this term to understand how effective he has proved for Chelsea.

Just a fortnight ago he saved Mourinho's unbeaten league record at Stamford Bridge with his calmly dispatched penalty against West Bromwich Albion in the 95th minute, while he scored an equally important goal away to Norwich City which swung the game back into Chelsea's favor, putting them 2-1 ahead late on.

When the Blues found themselves in a spot of bother against Cardiff City in late October, it was Hazard who got them back in the game with his first before rounding off an excellent personal display with a second late on to make the score a comfortable-looking 4-1.

All this has come amid Mourinho dropping him from his matchday squad against Schalke in the Champions League, when Hazard skipped training after losing his passport on a trip to France, as reported by the Daily Mail at the time.

It was a mini scandal that could have engulfed his season, yet here we are discussing his impact on the pitch yet again. It's been forgotten and as a result, says much for his character.

When Chelsea signed Hazard, they were buying potential. Now he's settled in West London, they very much have the real deal, with the Belgian's progress right on track.

*Stats from WhoScored.com and ESPNFC.com

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here @garryhayes