Who is better: Sanchez or Hazard

Who is better?


  • Total voters
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Disagree with me all you want, Hazard for me is the most overrated player on the planet. Even Coutinho is better
 
I wouldn't say it isn't close. But Sanchez has been better. What gives him the edge is his mentality. In a big game on the bigger stage I'd rather have Sanchez in my team.

I'd pick Hazard in general though as he's younger and has a higher ceiling.

That's true. Though he may never reach that ceiling. I think he may have plateaued now.
 
Hazard was superior until very recently. But then something happened, he lost the spark, the finesse, the will. While the young Chilean started dominating for fun, noone can seemingly stop him. Wenger did right with that one. I am very jealous.
 
Some stupid arguments and opinions going about here, but that's what a forum is for I guess. You cannot possibly say that one or the other is outright best like there's no contest, there are so many factors when you think about it. If you swap Sanchez or Hazard for the other, chances are your team are going to do equally well in my opinion. Both are excellent dribblers in tight spaces, both create something out of nothing and score important goals. Both take smart free-kicks and have a pretty similar style when it comes to delivery and making decisions. If you have a straight choice between the two, you always take Hazard due to him being younger - but that's not what the discussion is about.

Both players are absolute world-class and they are the biggest match-winners in England - every team in the world would be better or equally good compared to what they already have, never worse. Both of these players would on current form and reputation play for PSG, City, Barcelona and Real Madrid without making them worse - on the contrary. Sometimes you have to go because of competition and lack of platform, but Barcelona surely regret selling him on the cheap to Arsenal a few years ago.

Sanchez works harder for his team compared to Hazard, he is very aggressive when he's on a mission. Hazard is way softer in that regards, although you can never know when he does something out of nothing. Sanchez can become moody and sulk quite a bit, but that reputation has come the last two years when he has obviously wanted to move away from an Arsenal-side that have no chance of challenging for the Premier League or the Champions League. If you're doing a rating based on the fact that Messi and Neymar are 10's, these guys are 9's. Both are players you don't want playing against you..... now we have one playing for us. Not possible to deny output though, Sanchez has the higher output - let's see if he can keep it up at Manchester United.
 
Hazard easily. He will win you lots of games all by himself. He’s a better age too and would probably be on lower wages.

We missed a serious trick not getting him or Sanchez when they were moving to England. Aguero and De Bryune are another 2 we missed out on big time. Everyone could see Dybala was going to be a star too... I know we can’t sign everyone but any average fan could see any player mentioned above was quality and would definitely improve us now or then.

Still not sure about this signing but I really hope it works out and he doesn’t end up stinking the place out for the last year or two of his deal on those huge wages with us. All while city keep unearthing really promising young players and then we aren’t able to move him on without paying him another fortune to go....
 
I think Hazard is the better player. Definitely has the higher highs and I don't find Alexis to be more consistent. Hazard is more of a game-changer, I think.
 
If we'd just signed Hazard, the poll would lean to Sanchez. No doubt.

What are their goals/assists since Sanchez has been in the PL? Anyone know?

That will basically give a fair picture - please note, Sanchez has been in the PL 2 years less than Hazard.

If we’d signed hazard, the poll would have been a landslide Hazard victory.
 
I'm usually objective and could form an opinion for who's better since they play a very similar, if not the same, position. But for the life of me I can't figure out whos better. They are about the same, apart from age which gives Hazard a slight advantage, naturally. If we take a look at the past 2-3 seasons and the current one I'd say they are about the same.

However if we are taking into account the question "for whom?" Then for instance Alexis is better for United or Hazard is better for Real Madrid. We need more end product and effective directness from the wing, Madrid need more chance creation and creativity. Mind I'm just making a wild guess regarding Madrid as I don't follow them much.

Both are elite footballers, awesome assets for any team in the world.
 
Hazard. Although as we all know Sanchez is a quality player, especially on the sort of form he was last season. Hazard has a capability to transform that whole Chelsea side with moments of genius that probably no other player in the league is capable of. he gives them the opportunity of playing badly and still getting the result cause he'll make something happen.
I was inclined to say Hazard, but comparing their last three seasons it's not even close, overall Alexis had a much bigger impact and played significantly better since he came to the Premier League.
How so? wasn't Hazard voted second in the player of the year votes last season? this season i'd say Hazard has been better but Sanchez has been sulking, the season before that you could say Sanchez was better.
 
So if, as you explicitly stated, “every team is far better with their best player”, isn’t it only natural to suggest that Chelsea’s attack (and therefore their whole team) is better with Hazard in the side?
Yes. I don't see where I've said otherwise.
 
I think Hazard is the better player. Definitely has the higher highs and I don't find Alexis to be more consistent. Hazard is more of a game-changer, I think.

How can you conclude that when Sanchez has more goals/assists compared to Hazard pr. game? Hazard has played for a better team all along as well. I think if Sanchez player for Chelsea the last few years, he would have had more goals and assists than Hazard. Furthermore, I think Hazard would have had less goals/assists than Sanchez playing for Arsenal. Saying that - impossible to know.
 
I've always thought Sanchez, Hazard can be brilliant at times but he's way too inconsistent
 
Sanchez.

Hazard's been wildly inconsistent. Definitely has an edge in his speed and acceleration but for a main-man in the team he simply scores too little - I dont get how he's been rumoured to take over after Ronaldo.
 
Sanchez elevated Arsenal and kept them afloat for quite a long almost by himself. Chile also benefits greatly with evidence of success from having him on the pitch. Hazard had and has better players around him, not to mention his club is serious about title aspirations but he is a stunning player and can change the game in effective fashion, just like Sanchez in recent cup finals.

Imho Sanchez made a mistake in joining Arsenal, especially being here in Kroenke era. He would have way more chances to show his class and had less humiliating experiences such as one against Bayern in two leg match.

Maybe Hazard is minimally a better player but both would make United a truly well-oiled machine.
 
I thought Hazard two weeks ago but in the last two weeks Sanchez has really proven himself to be the better player.

My thoughts exactly.
 
Whenever we play Chelsea we can't get near Hazard despite usually having a clear gameplan to stop him. The same can't be said for Sanchez.

I think we've neutralised Hazard a good amount of times though over the years. In general we've been good at this - Also with Sanchez.
 
Hazard’s technically the better player for me, but Sanchez is more consistent and reliable.
 
Hazard this season: 8 goals 4 assists

Now consider he has a free role and that players like Son, Alli and Martial has had equally the same end-product so far and they've either not played as much or in the case of Alli (5 goals, 9 assists) he's been underperforming.

To be fair i think Hazard's season so far is pretty much the average season you would expect from him. He simply lacks end product.
 
Don't think there's much in it. But at their best I'd say Sanchez. If I could have either I'd go with Hazard simply because we'd get more years from him.
 
Hazard. Hazard scares the shite out of me every time he plays against us.
 
Hard to argue with this I think. To compare the two on the very limited definition of "productivity" alone is silly in my view. If people want to use stats to aid their judgment then why not look at all of them? Hazard has consistently created more chances, dribbled past more players, used the ball more intelligently and wasted less chances.

The biggest difference between the two is their ability to retain and recycle the ball in the build up. This whole decade, Sanchez has never had a season where his passing accuracy was above 81% - and that was at possession-crazy Barca - while Hazard has never had a season where his passing slipped below that.

Keeping the ball for possession's sake obvious isn't a positive quality in a star attacker, but that's not what we're talking about. Hazard is central to his team's fluid build up with thoughtful passing while Sanchez breaks up so many attacks with careless moves. Part of that is Sanchez just being a more aggressive, risky player, but part of it is from being sloppy and stupid.

That trend repeats itself in pretty much every facet of play - it's not just passing but dribbling, holding the ball up etc. Sanchez loses the ball a lot. I'd put him on par with Rooney in that sense. Constantly breaking up play with the wrong passes, sloppy touches and wayward finishing.

I'd say he's as inconsistent as Rooney too. No idea why people think he has a high bottom level but they're in for a surprise. At Arsenal, Barcelona and Udinese he's went through long barren periods in front of goal and it's pretty clear he's very erratic in the build up. In his best season at Udinese he scored 1 goal in the first 15 games. In his 2nd season at Barca it took him until January to score his 2nd goal of the season. This season he managed 2 goals in his first 10 games.

People will find excuses for each but it seems pretty clear he's a very streaky player with a very low bottom level. People just look past it because he's energetic. If Hazard is lethargic but quietly contributing to the fluid build up play while Sanchez is running around like a maniac losing the ball left, right and centre, Hazard is the one more likely to get criticised. Which says more about people's expectations and preferences than it does about contribution on the pitch, in my view.

When people have to put up with the more frustrating elements of Sanchez's game on a weekly basis I think perspectives will change a lot. It's easy to only focus on the flashy stuff when it's not your player hurting your team with brainless play.
Hazard is equally as patchy, though. He seems to get a free pass for it because he's quite an elegant footballer and he dribbles well.
 
Hazard's top level is probably higher than Sánchez. But, Hazard is also more inconsistent.

Another point is that, even if they play similar positions, they have different roles. Hazard plays more as a attacking midfielder who might sporadically score. Sánchez is more of a wide forward tasked with scoring the bulk of goals of his team.

In the current situation, the team needs a game changer. While Hazard is a game changer in his own right, an argument can be made for Alexis being better at that than him
 
Hazard’s technically the better player for me, but Sanchez is more consistent and reliable.

Yeah. I think so too. Whilst Hazard might show more sparkle when he's bang on form - Sanchez has been more consistent since he's came to the PL and the numbers show that.

Then there is that season when Mourinho got sacked by Chelsea. He completely downed tools - looked like a mediocre footballer at best and went through a barren run without goals or assists.
 
Hazard is equally as patchy, though. He seems to get a free pass for it because he's quite an elegant footballer and he dribbles well.

I don't see how you can read the comments in this thread and come to the conclusion that Hazard gets a free pass. He was named the 2nd best player in the league last year, the best player in the league two years earlier, and yet almost everyone is saying he's inconsistent or only decides to turn up sometimes. That's a theme on this forum ever since his horror season in between those two.

I think his form for Belgium and his obvious disinterest under Mourinho in his last season raises a lot of questions, but his inconsistency is grossly exaggerated. How many playmakers in this league have been in the top three players in 2 out of 3 seasons? I can't think of many. Of those, how many were mercurial talents that lost their rhythm and looked disinterested for large parts of a season or two? I'd be surprised if it wasn't all of them. It almost comes with the territory.

I get why the label sticks. That half-season under Mourinho was embarrassing. Plus he's in an era where he's been contrasted to players largely defined by their killer instinct, and they play in his position. Just a decade earlier the reference points for players in his position were the likes of Ronaldinho, Figo and Nedved.

I just find it strange that so many people have so little time for mercurial playmakers these days. You're either a productive machine or you're an all-action attacker.
 
Hazard overall. Better dribbler with better ball control I'd say. But Sanchez is more reliable in regards to goals etc - perhaps not as technically talented (although not far off) but can almost function as a striker would with his end product.
 
Yeah. I think so too. Whilst Hazard might show more sparkle when he's bang on form - Sanchez has been more consistent since he's came to the PL and the numbers show that.

Then there is that season when Mourinho got sacked by Chelsea. He completely downed tools - looked like a mediocre footballer at best and went through a barren run without goals or assists.

He did, but then he wasn't the only one. Costa's goals dried up significantly compared to the previous season, Pedro wasn't offering much in spite of being their big summer signing and the team as a whole looked dreadful...hence their bottom half position when Mourinho left.

I don't think Sanchez's had a period of inconsistency as sustained as that one by Hazard but there have been times during the past year or so where he's looked sort of disinterested, primarily because he's not wanted to be there. Obviously that's been balanced out by plenty of top class performances as well though.
 
No chance.

Other way 'round mate.

If City had just signed Sanchez and you did this poll, people would be voting more for Sanchez because he's then seen as unattainable.

Yet on the back of Sanchez amazing season last March 80% of the forum said Hazard was the best player in the league, Sanchez way behind in 2nd marginally ahead of Aguero for best player in the league. Now its 60/40 all of a sudden.
 
He did, but then he wasn't the only one. Costa's goals dried up significantly compared to the previous season, Pedro wasn't offering much in spite of being their big summer signing and the team as a whole looked dreadful...hence their bottom half position when Mourinho left.

I don't think Sanchez's had a period of inconsistency as sustained as that one by Hazard but there have been times during the past year or so where he's looked sort of disinterested, primarily because he's not wanted to be there. Obviously that's been balanced out by plenty of top class performances as well though.

It's true the whole team underperformed. Pedro tried - I don't think he's the type of player that would make a difference when the whole team is playing shit. Obviously, whatever happened that season - Jose should rightly take some of the blame but the players showed terrible attitude too and Hazard was part of that.

As for the bolded part, Robert Pires said this about Alexis:

“I’ve been with the first team every day and I see how Alexis is.

“I honestly can say that his behaviour is very good. He is very professional, he always wants to win, even in training.

“It’s a way of telling the team: ‘If you don’t want to be like this, then I leave.’ I think this is all Alexis wanted to prove."

So which just further proves that his form dipped cause he was genuinely fed up with the club. I can't blame him for that, if you spent enough time at club and they've shown no ambition then I don't a problem with him wanting to leave. And it's only natural to be unsettled when your future is up in the air.
 
Sanchez and Kane have been the best players in the league over the last 3-4 seasons in a tier of their own
 
Hard to say but I'd probably give the edge to Sanchez due to his end product and consistency. Much harder worker too.

I also think Sanchez is a better fit for us too but that wasn't the question.
 
Hazard is equally as patchy, though. He seems to get a free pass for it because he's quite an elegant footballer and he dribbles well.

He isn't anywhere near as patchy as Sanchez. Sanchez has never had a season where he averages 80% pass completion. In general play he constantly gives the ball away. Whereas hazards use of the ball is way better.
 
08-09 Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year
09-10 Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year
10-11 Ligue 1 Player of the Year
11-12 Ligue 1 Player of the Year
12-13 Premier League Team of the Year
13-14 Premier League Young Player of the Year
14-15 Premier League Player of the Year
15-16 ...
16-17 Premier League Player of the Year Runner up

Can we stop with this Hazard is inconsistent nonsense now? The guys had one bad season in his whole career.
 
Has to be Hazard
I'm more frightened when he has the ball than when Sanchez does
 
Can we stop with this Hazard is inconsistent nonsense now? The guys had one bad season in his whole career.

He is inconsistent, but still one of the best players in the league.

Hazard has the talent to be the best in the world; but he doesn't do those mazy runs that often even though he can, or up his goal scoring to the level of the world's best players.
 
He isn't anywhere near as patchy as Sanchez. Sanchez has never had a season where he averages 80% pass completion. In general play he constantly gives the ball away. Whereas hazards use of the ball is way better.
Why is pass accuracy used to paint one positively and one negatively? Alexis is a monster final third forward, Hazard is a playmaker. Conversely you can cite goal records as a positive for Alexis and a slight on Hazard.