Can Hazard find Chelsea form?

Hazard warning

Eden Hazard began the season with an eight-game barren spell in front of goal. Now he has bookmarked a purple patch of 10 strikes in 10 matches with another seven-game drought, a run that has yielded just one assist. Is his form gradually becoming a worry for Chelsea as they look to profit from any Manchester City mishaps in the Premier League, however unlikely, and prolong their cause in the Champions League and EFL Cup?

Hazard hasn't looked entirely flat throughout this period -- he helped tear Huddersfield apart in December as part of a breathtaking, back-heeling front three with Willian and Pedro -- and there are mitigating circumstances for his lack of productivity, such as his recovery from the ankle injury he sustained over the summer and the intermittent absence of Alvaro Morata. But for a player tipped to be in the Ballon d'Or reckoning when the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo finally relinquish power, Hazard's dry spells are a nagging concern.

Although Chelsea have since won the title, the 2015-16 campaign still lives long in the memory, with the Belgian taking until Jan. 31 to find the net for the Blues in any competition and until April 23 to score in the Premier League. It has been reported that Hazard had a fraught relationship with Jose Mourinho that season and needed time to rebuild his confidence after the manager's dismissal, but that isn't an entirely satisfactory explanation for why a player of his undisputed quality can blow so hot and cold.

Perhaps to keep him fresh, or as a motivational tactic, Antonio Conte has withdrawn Hazard around 20 minutes before full time in three of his last four top-flight outings. Against Stoke, the Chelsea boss will hope to see his mercurial star deliver the sort of devastating performance he is capable of. Conte has already voiced his fears about the depth of his squad, and a misfiring Hazard is a problem he doesn't need with the race for the top four heating up and an EFL Cup semi-final against Arsenal on the horizon.

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