Alan Pardew has given Arsenal manager Unai Emery a word of advice as he gears up to face Eden Hazard in the Europa League final this evening.
When preparing to face Chelsea, it must be difficult to avoid the temptation to focus too much on stopping the threat that Hazard poses in attack.
After all, if Hazard is off the boil or snuffed out by the opposing defence, there can be no denying that Chelsea are a significantly weaker side.
Whether Emery has any special plans to deal with the Belgian is unclear at this point in time, but Pardew has explained how he would go about doing it in Baku.
Pards is quoted by the Express saying:
“One of the big things for the Gunners to get right in Baku is how they go about stopping Eden. There is no way their tactics or formation will not address that issue in some way.”
“If they treat him like a normal player then he is going to embarrass one of their defenders and be a big threat, so they will have to have some kind of security policy around him.”
“Among the things I’ve done when I’ve faced him in the past is having a centre-half concentrating on staying closer to him, or a central midfielder doubling up with the full-back down his side.”
While a manager of Emery’s calibre should not feel inclined to listen to someone like Pardew, he’s not wrong in suggesting he should pay special attention to Hazard.
This could well be his final ever appearance for Chelsea. You’d be foolish to think he won’t be firing on all cylinders when he takes to the turf tonight.
