Yaya Toure admits he’s been gobsmacked at how Eden Hazard and other big names in football uses their ‘big bums’ to shield the ball from their opponents.
Toure, who saw first-hand how Hazard used his behind to his advantage during his days in the Premier League, also singled out Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero as experts with their derriere – though none more so than the Real Madrid man.
Getty
Hazard, who had a tough season with Real Madrid due to a string of injury setbacks, made himself known as is one of the best dribblers in the world during his six years at Chelsea before sealing a switch to the Spanish capital.
With a short stature, the Belgian’s low centre of gravity gave him the brilliant skill to navigate his way out of danger easily.
And speaking to The Athletic, Toure spoke in depth about just how important bums have become in the modern game.
“On the subject of Belgium, we have to talk about Eden Hazard,” he said.
“It has almost become a joke how big his bum is, but it is very important to how he plays football.
getty
“Hazard is so dangerous that when the ball comes to him, he has maybe less than five seconds before the opposition are on him — I know from my time at City, you want to limit his time on the ball.
“When the ball arrives at Hazard, he can already sense the opponent coming towards him, so he waits until the last moment and uses his bum to block them.”
“It pushes the opponent away – almost like a punch – and then, when he has opened up that space between him and the defender, he will power away and start the attack.”
“Other wide players use their bums this way, such as Antoine Griezmann for France, and you might see Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero use this at the Copa America, but there is no one better at it than Eden Hazard.”
Getty
“The way he can control the ball after using his bum, the way he uses his bum and his body and his hips to protect the ball when defenders run at him, the way he can turn in any direction turn after the impact… it is unbelievable.”
Hazard’s former manager, Jose Mourinho, was full of praise for the player’s talent and said he would be even better… if he put the work in.
“When he gets onto the pitch you don’t see the reflection of a week of work, you just see a reflection of his talent.
“He is this amazing player and you can imagine if he was a top professional. When he went to Real Madrid I thought wow, this guy is going to the biggest club in the world and is going to feel this huge pressure to be always at the top, this guy is going to win the Golden Ball, because he is amazing.
“But in terms of his fitness, his speed, his condition, he would be a much better player [if he trained properly]. What you see is just the talent that got Eden to where he is.”
from Football - news, transfers, fixtures, scores, pictures https://ift.tt/3vRFGUm
via IFTTT
No Comment