Cesc Fabregas and Antonio Conte appear to have two very different ideas as to what would make Eden Hazard an even better player.
Following Chelsea’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, praise continued to flow for Eden Hazard. The winger has been in scintillating form for the Blues this season, reminding the world of just how good he is. Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte, and Cesc Fabregas have gone back and forth while discussing what would enable Hazard to reach the next level.
Fabregas recently stated that only Lionel Messi is currently better than Hazard and a more selfish streak from the Belgian would see him inch closer to the Barca man.
"Ability wise, there is only one player above him and we all know who he is: Messi…I’ve told him many, many times, he needs to be selfish sometimes and have that killer instinct to score more goals and then he will be whatever he wants to be. – via Metro"
However, Conte in fact thought the opposite. When asked about Fabregas’ comments, the Chelsea boss proved that he is truly a team-orientated man.
"For me, it’s sad when I listen to this: one player must be more selfish to reach the top level? This is not my ideal of football.I will never understand this. In my team I don’t want a selfish player, I’d prefer to lose a game than have a selfish player – I don’t want this and won’t accept this, never. – via Metro"
Frankly, both of them have reasonable points. The team is always most important in football and thus you can understand Conte taking umbrage to people promoting selfishness. However, Fabregas is also right in his thoughts.
More from The Pride of London
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
Hazard has been fantastic for the Blues. He has picked apart defences and proven himself to be one of the world’s leading talents. His material production, though, pales in comparison with some of his rivals.
The Belgian has scored just 15 goals this season. While for a traditional winger such a tally is impressive, he needs to be more prolific if he is to be mentioned in the same sentence as Messi.
Much like Kevin De Bruyne, Hazard often prefers to pick out a teammate, as opposed to taking on the opportunity himself. This unselfish behaviour often benefits the team, but impacts his stats.
In a world where stats and goalscoring records form the basis for any discussion, Hazard is let down. He just doesn’t contribute as much as others in that tangible sense.
However, that’s not the player Chelsea need. Hazard is a vital cog in this team playing the way that he naturally does. He doesn’t need to be selfish to make a difference to the Blues. It is the fact that he isn’t which helps them.
What do you think? Who are you siding with? Let us know in the comments below!