Chelsea will be hoping to get their campaign back on track when they host Tottenham Hotspur at the Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final later tonight
The Blues, after starting off the season in brilliant fashion under new boss Maurizio Sarri, seem to have hit a roadblock as of hit. The Blues are placed fourth in the table, are just one point ahead of their city rivals Arsenal. To add to their woes, Manchester United’s resurgence in the past month has seen them close the gap and they are level on points with Arsenal.
The Blues have lost 2 out of their last 3 games, with the 2-0 defeat at the Emirates being their latest defeat. Maurizio Sarri was quite clearly unhappy with his side’s performance, and he made that known as he slammed his players in the post-match conference. Responding to that, Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard said that he frustrates all his managers, as they always keep expecting more of him. Apparently, Sarri did not hold back either as he said that Hazard was a brilliant player, but not a leader,
“Sometimes. I prefer him when he speaks with his feet,” the 60-year-old Italian said.
“The potential is higher than the performances, I think. He has to respect, first of all, himself. He has to do more.”
“Eden is at the moment a wonderful player, but he’s an individual player. He’s a very instinctive player,” he added.
“He’s very important for us, of course, because he’s a great player. He always can win the match in two minutes, sometimes in one minute, but at the moment he’s not a leader.
“For him it’s very difficult to play only in one position. He wants the ball on the feet.
“For him, I think, it’s very difficult to play as a striker, but it’s very difficult to play also as a winger.
“We have to organise the other 10 players in the defensive phase because he needs to play everywhere on the pitch.”
After an explosive start to the season, Hazard’s form in front of goal has somewhat dropped off as the Belgian has managed just 3 goals in his last 10 league games.
Author’s Take
To be fair, Hazard has, by far been Chelsea’s best player this season. Criticism, if any, should be directed at his teammates and not him.
