Chelsea: Narratives on Antonio Conte and Eden Hazard contradict
By Travis Tyler
The narrative all season has been that Antonio Conte will be gone next season. Now, it is Eden Hazard wants to leave because of Conte. Both cannot be true.
All season, reports have stated that Antonio Conte is unlikely to remain at Chelsea past the summer. The go-to point is how unhappy he is and how unhappy the board is with being questioned.
Now, the same sources are saying Eden Hazard is tired of Conte’s tactics and that he will engineer a move away. But why? Have the same sources not been saying Conte is gone at the end of the season? So why would Hazard need to leave?
The fact of the matter is that these two narratives contradict each other. Hazard cannot want to leave because of Conte while the club is also looking to replace Conte. Both cannot be true at the same time.
If Hazard is looking to leave simply because of the current managers tactics, then he was already planning to leave. In this scenario, Conte is a scapegoat used to divert blame off Hazard.
And if Conte is expected to leave, this Hazard story would not be a story at all. The narrative would then be that Hazard is looking to jump ship regardless.
What is happening with this narrative is manufactured drama. Diego Costa versus Conte and David Luiz versus Conte were both blown out of proportion with Conte made the bad guy. It is happening again with Hazard and Conte.
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The more accurate narrative would be that the two may be unable to live with one another next season. So if Conte leaves, Hazard stays. If Conte stays, Hazard leaves. No unnecessary or contradictory story lines involved. It is that simple.
There is also the matter of Thibaut Courtois future being tied to Hazard’s. So if he is drawn into this drama, then the situation becomes Conte or Courtois plus Hazard. That is much more difficult calculus for the club if they qualify for the Champions League.
Regardless, the longer Chelsea take to regain form, the worse these narratives will become. Another performance like the Manchester City defeat will be followed by headlines of the players “turning on the manager”.
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The club, players and manager all need to step in a dispel these rumors right away. At best, they are mere distractions. At worst, they are self fulfilling prophecies.