EPL: Mourinho question Eden Hazard's commitment
commitment to the Chelsea cause.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has hit
back at Eden Hazard after the Belgian winger
appeared to criticise his tactics following
Wednesday's Champions League exit.
Just hours after a 3-1 defeat to Atletico
Madrid sent the Blues out of Europe's
premier club competition, Hazard was quoted
as saying: "Chelsea aren't set up to play
football."
Mourinho has refused to take the comment
as a criticism, instead suggesting that it was
merely the player's way of describing the
team's direct counter-attacking style of play.
However, the Special One was far from
complimentary when discussing Hazard in
Friday afternoon's press conference.
BBC Sport quotes him as saying: "When the
comments come from a player like Eden it's
normal because he's not the kind of player to
sacrifice himself for the team," said
Mourinho.
"He's not mentally ready to look to his left-
back and leave his life for him.
"Normally you get these kind of comments
from players like him, from players that can't
resolve a problem like we had with the first
goal.
"If you see Atletico's first goal, you
completely understand where the mistake
was and why we conceded that goal."
"I'm not happy. I've tried to improve him all
season."
Hazard is Chelsea's leading goalscorer this
season, having netted 14 times in 33 Premier
League appearances. The 23-year-old has
also provided seven top-flight assists.
Hazard's public war of words with Mourinho
is likely to fuel talk of a summer move away
from Stamford Bridge.
French champions Paris Saint-Germain are
rumoured to be keen on Hazard, who has
over three years left to run on his current
Chelsea contract.
Hazard has featured 109 times for Chelsea's
first team since arriving in London in a £32m
switch from Lille in June 2012.
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