Saturday 7 November 2015 21:41, UK
Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Stoke on Saturday Night Football marked a new low for Jose Mourinho’s men as the champions lost their seventh game of the season.
However, Chelsea legend Frank Lampard saw signs of progress in the team's play and believes player of the year Eden Hazard can recapture his form of old.
"Tonight I will say that watching them there I saw glimpses of what they'll need to turn the corner," Lampard told Sky Sports.
"Brighter play and sharper play, working together. I couldn't really fault their effort there, they just couldn't get that little bit of luck to win the game."
Lampard was encouraged by Hazard's willingness to get on the ball. His 82 touches was his third-best this season, while his tally of five completed dribbles was his joint-second best for the season.
"You can see from his touch map, he's been picking up the ball in the right areas," said Lampard at half time. "The deciding factor in the way that Chelsea have improved is Eden Hazard."
But why has Hazard been less effective this season? For Lampard, the key change in the Belgian has been his confidence levels.
"For me, it's confidence," he said. "You don't become a bad player overnight. I love Eden Hazard, from playing with him to watching him last year when he was the deserved player of the year.
"Watching him now, he's thinking. When you're having a bad time, sometimes you find yourself thinking, 'Where's my next pass? How's my first touch?'
"He wasn't thinking like that last year. It was instinctive. He was running at people, beating threes and fours.
"He was their big 'out' when they were playing so-so. They could give the ball to Eden Hazard and he could make something happen. They need to get him back to his best very soon."
