Eden Hazard's Father, Thierry, Discusses Jose Mourinho's Handling of Chelsea Ace

Thierry Hazard, the father of Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, has praised under-fire Blues boss Jose Mourinho for the manner in which he has helped his son develop.

Speaking with the Daily Mirror (h/t Luke Gardener of the Daily Star), Hazard Sr. revealed he has full faith in Mourinho and how positive he has been working with Eden and his other son Thorgan, who is now impressing at Borussia Monchengladbach after previously being at Chelsea:

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I've dealt with him on two occasions to discuss the loan [of] Thorgan and Eden's contract extension.

I like what he has to say. I continue to support his choices. Eden as well who understands and accepts them. Moreover, I think he handles him well. When he drops him, he is not punishing him, I am sure, but it is by tactical choice.

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You suspect Mourinho will be delighted to have some praise head his way in what have been an otherwise turbulent few weeks.

Chelsea have been shambolic at the start of the season, having now lost more games this season than in the whole of their triumphant 2014-15. The manager has belied a host of issues for the Blues' poor form, the most recent of which being poor refereeing decisions; a claim that saw the Portuguese charged by the FA.

As Keith Costigan of Fox Soccer suggested, maybe Mourinho should look a little closer to home when apportioning blame:

Hazard, who was the key instigator of last season's success, has also found a spark tough to come by in the opening weeks of the term. The swagger he played with last season has been scarcely seen, with zero goals and just two assists notched from his eight Premier League games so far.

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Uber Football Facts didn’t hold back in its assessment of Hazard’s recent displays after Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Southampton on Saturday:

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MISSING: Eden Hazard pic.twitter.com/xtjFRaMjFu

— Uber Football Facts (@UberFootbalI) October 3, 2015"

Still, it’s easy to forget the Belgium international is still a young man, and after spearheading Chelsea’s charge for glory last season, meeting those kind of standards so consistently once again was always going to be tough. Therefore, it was probably little surprise to see Mourinho take him out of the firing line for the recent Champions League clash with Porto.

Naturally, there was an overreaction to that decision, but there are few who will deny Hazard’s talent, especially Mourinho. Indeed, even though little has come off for him this season, the former Lille man is still intent on making things happen in matches, as we can see courtesy of Squawka Football:

The views from Hazard’s father are refreshing to hear. So often those close to young footballers will be rash in their judgement when they’re dropped from the starting XI or enduring a poor run of form. But it’s clear Hazard Sr. has a sharp grasp on perspective.

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Hazard is too good not to rediscover the levels he showcased last season. In a team that is striving for an identity at the moment, there’s little foundation in place for the 24-year-old to flourish. But if the Blues are to mount a late-season surge up the Premier League table, they need to facilitate an environment that allows Hazard to perform to his best again.