Chelsea squad questioning Maurizio Sarri's use of Eden Hazard after Arsenal defeat
Chelsea players are privately questioning Maurizio Sarri’s decision to play Eden Hazard as a false No. 9 in the wake of their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal.
Hazard, 28, has been Chelsea’s standout attacking player this season, scoring 12 goals in all competitions, but the Belgian is being played out of position after Sarri lost patience with Alvaro Morata.
Pedro and Willian started on the wings with Hazard playing through the middle at the Emirates and Chelsea, once again, failed to get the best out of their talisman. First-half goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Laurent Koscielny meant Arsenal closed the gap on their top-four rivals to just three points.
Sarri blasted his players in an explosive press conference following Chelsea’s defeat and an inquest continued at the club’s training ground.
According to the Daily Mail, Sarri invited Chelsea’s staff and players for clear-the-air talks in a bid to get their season back on track. The Blues next face Tottenham in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash, where they must overturn a 1-0 deficit to progress.
While the majority of Chelsea’s squad are still on board with Sarri’s project, many believe Hazard should return to his preferred position out wide.
Within the camp, there are also calls for Olivier Giroud to be recalled to the starting XI as Chelsea’s lead striker.
The imminent arrival of Gonzalo Higuain could also ease the pressure on Hazard at Stamford Bridge.
AC Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso admitted that he had ‘accepted’ Higuain’s move to Chelsea ahead of Milan’s victory over Genoa.
‘I accept his decision. Surely he could have done more and maybe we could have helped him fit in better,’ he said.
‘I want to be honest with you all. We had a poor training session today due to all these rumours.
‘We spoke after the training session and I did not consider him ready for this game.’
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