Why Eden Hazard Is the Chelsea Player Most in Need of the International Break

Has Eden Hazard been misunderstood at Chelsea this season? From what we've seen these past few weeks, there's a suggestion he has.

The headlines have been about a player who doesn't want to play for the reigning Premier League champions; a player whose heart, mind and spirit have been elsewhere. The theory has been that his body language has told us everything we need to know.

Maybe it has, but we've been misreading the signs; maybe Hazard's been injured all along. Which is why the international break comes at a pivotal time for the Belgian.

With no Premier League action for a fortnight and Hazard not included in the Belgium squad, he has time away from the spotlight to finally attempt to get things right.

It's too late for Chelsea's season, yet looking further forward to 2016/17, there's an opportunity for the 25-year-old to pick up some momentum that will benefit Chelsea beyond May and forget their continuing nightmare.

Only last week Hazard's father, Thierry, claimed Chelsea had been forcing his son to play through the pain barrier this year. That in turn has hampered his recovery from a hip problem that has plagued him for the past four months.

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Dating back to December when we first saw the effects of the injury, Chelsea lost 2-1 to Leicester City and Hazard limped out of the game. A few days later, Jose Mourinho was sacked and the focus ever since has been on which players had turned against their former boss ahead of his dismissal.

The dissection of Chelsea's season continues in much the same vein. With every game that Hazard misses or underperforms, we're met with the same analysis about his frame of mind.

Offering a different perspective on why his son hasn't repeated the form that elevated him to Player of the Year status in 2014/15, Thierry Hazard told Belgian newspaper Le Soir (h/t the Guardian):

"

Eden’s lack of form is due to an injury, an inflammation in the hip, that he’s been carrying now for three or four months.

It’s not a bad injury, but when the pain appears, it feels like a stabbing. It feels like a knife is stabbed in it.

He was feeling the pain early in the game [against Leicester] and that’s why he has asked for a substitution. Instead of giving Eden time to overcome the injury and have a proper rest, they push him to play because they have some important games.

[...] Which player hasn’t had highs and lows in his career? It’s the first time in his professional career that he’s confronted a difficult period. He’s not a machine, as we know.

"

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Since Chelsea lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League—another game in which Hazard was subbed off early because of injury—he hasn't appeared in the club's two subsequent matches.

With nothing to play for in the sense of silverware, Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink hasn't had to force Hazard to feature, which sits in line with his father's analysis of the season.

If it proves the case, then it's Hazard who should feel let down by the club and not vice versa. After a summer of inactivity, Chelsea left themselves woefully short of resources to defend their title, and it's increased the pressure on players such as the Belgium international to produce.

He's the club's talisman, and without him, they struggle to create in the final third. The likes of Willian have attempted to fill that void, but over the course of the season, they have been found out and lack the sort of consistency we saw from Hazard last year.

If Chelsea have been forcing Hazard to play it's because they have nobody else. For a club that boasts their riches and revels in elite status, it's not exactly befitting.

We saw how brutal Mourinho's starting XI was last season. It wasn't by accident that they led the Premier League from start to finish, yet their resources have flattered to deceive outside of that.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

It's a stark contrast to what has usually been the case at Stamford Bridge. It used to be that Chelsea boasted strength across their squad, but now their poor transfer dealings mean an injury or suspension can leave them looking incredibly weak.

The fact Chelsea haven't been able to respond to Hazard's poor form and fitness simply outlines where the problems have long existed.

Hazard and Chelsea have a fortnight off. The hope now is that when the Premier League reconvenes in April, both club and player will be feeling better for the break.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.