Tag: Hazard

Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard has claimed that the 3-1 defeat against Paris St Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals first primarily because the Premier league outfit were tired. Chelsea conceded a goal after just three minutes when John Terry clearing header fell right into the path of Ezequiel Lavezzi. He powered home a stunning half volley, which gave PSG tremendous amount of confidence. However, Chelsea managed to wake-up from the poor start and dominate the first half. They got their deserved equaliser from Eden Hazard’s penalty after Oscar was brought down by defender Thiago Silva.

The penalty also gave Chelsea a crucial away goal, which would be massive over the two legs. However, they were unable to follow to this lead for much long into the second-half after the David Luiz scored an own goal from a set piece. From then on in, PSG started dominating the encounter. Hazard has claimed after the match that Chelsea are not be able to influence the match in the second half because they were tired after having played in numerous matches in the last few weeks. Javier Pastore’s late third goal meant that any hopes of reaching the semifinals have almost vanished.

Lavezzi has said that he wants to end any hopes of a comeback in the second leg.

“We had the game in our hands in the first half. We came back good and we managed the game. But the second half was complicated. We were a bit tired and it felt that way towards the end. Now there’s a return leg and we will do everything to push [PSG],” said Hazard, who has been courted by the French outfit for several months now. “I’m not worried about Chelsea pulling off a repeat of their comeback against Napoli because this is a completely different team and we hope to go through,” said Lavezzi.

Chelsea star Eden Hazard has dismissed fears that he could miss this weekend’s crucial match against Tottenham Hotspur after suffering an injury while on international duty with Belgium. Hazard was set to play only the final 20 minutes of the international friendly against Ivory Coast. However, he suffered an injury almost immediately after coming on as a substitute. Belgium boss Marc Wilmots said after the encounter that the 23-year-old suffered a swollen knee as a result of the knock he received. Since then, his participation in the upcoming league match against Tottenham has been a major doubt.

Hazard, though, has cleared up the fears by confirming that he is set to play against Spurs. Tottenham are chasing a top four spot and this is one of the tough matches remaining in Chelsea’s calendar this campaign. Out of the clubs chasing the title, Chelsea have a far easier run-in with only matches against Tottenham, Arsenal, and Liverpool to fear. Apart from it, they face teams from the bottom half of the table. As one of the important members of the team, Hazard’s presence is extremely vital for Jose Mourinho’s men.

He has played in every Premier league till date. Ahead of the international friendly with Ivory Coast, Hazard stated that he was in need of rest.

“It hurt, but I think I can play this weekend. After 20 seconds I got a kick. A nice welcome, but I’m not worried about the injury,” said the 23-year-old superstar after the match. “His boot was damaged, but Eden hasn’t twisted his ankle,” said Belgium’s national team manager.

“I’m not that tired. In the first half against Fulham I felt it a bit, but in the second I found my flow back. I don’t need that much rest, I’m at my best when I can play a lot of games. But I’ve to be careful that I don’t burn myself,” said Hazard prior to the match.

Eden Hazard was not included in the Chelsea squad for their Champions League game against the German club FC Schalke because he couldn’t take part in the team’s training session on Monday.

Actually, the 22 years old Belgian midfielder had gone to France the previous day to hook up with some of his friends at his old club Lille. He spent the Sunday night there and on Monday morning, he had to return back to UK to join the Blues squad, but, unfortunately, he found out that his passport was not with him. He had lost it somewhere. Because of that, he couldn’t come back to London in time and missed the training session. That pissed off the Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and he handed Hazard a 1-game ban.

However, despite Hazard’s absence in that game against Schalke, the Blues didn’t have to face too much difficulty in securing 3 points. They easily defeated the German club by 3-0 and ensured that they remained at the top position in the Group E points table.

After that match, when Mourinho was asked about Hazard’s suspension, he said, “He has already apologized for that, but, whatever happened was not acceptable. It was not easy to drop him for such an important game, but, I had to take that decision in order to set an example. You can’t compromise with the principles.”

“Eden is not a bad guy. He committed a mistake and he got the punishment. To be dropped is the biggest punishment for a sportsman.”

Chelsea’s next game is against West Ham United. That is a Premier League game and will be played on Saturday at Upton Park. Hazard is expected to be back in the starting line up of Chelsea for that game.

Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard has had that he is very much looking forward to the friendly match against Roma, which will see him reunited with his former manager Rudi Garcia. Garcia was the manager of Lille when the Belgian playmaker was making his name. He made the £ 35 million move from the French club to Chelsea 12 months ago. Even as a youngster, Hazard was spoken of as the next big thing in world football. He has certainly not disappointed in his first season at Chelsea. He has scored more than 10 goals and contributed more than 20 in terms of assists.

Garcia was recently appointed as the manager of Roma, who have made plenty of business in the transfer window so far. They have also managed to keep hold of Italian international Daniele De Rossi amidst interest from Chelsea. They will be the final opponents for Chelsea in their pre-season tour of Asia and the United States. Chelsea have had a very promising pre-season and they have lost just one match. Hazard has said that preparations have been going extremely well and he is already looking forward to the start of the new season. Chelsea kick off the new campaign with a home match against newly promoted Hull city.

“We had four years together and won two trophies, the Ligue 1 and the Cup in the same season, the double. He is a very good coach, still quite young and a very nice guy. He was very good for me because I was very young and he showed me the right way to be, and gave me lots of confidence in my ability. It’s good for him to have another challenge at Roma, he did well with Lille and now wants to further his career at a big club. I think he is the first French trainer in Italy,” said Hazard.

Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard has said that he would welcome the prospect of working with Real Madrid manager José Mourinho, who has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge in the summer. Mourinho is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the world. He managed at Chelsea for a period of just over two years during which time he led the club to 6 titles. This included two Premier league titles in back-to-back seasons. The succession of managers who have followed the Portuguese have been unable to repeat his feat.

After three years at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mourinho is thought to be contemplating an exit in the summer after growing extremely tired of the Spanish media. Further, there has been a lot of infighting in the dressing room. There are several sections of the Real Madrid players who are against Mourinho. This includes the captain of the team, Iker Casillas, who has recently dropped in favour of the second choice goalkeeper Diego Lopez. Sergio Ramos has also shown public support to Casillas rather than the manager.

This is widely expected to see Mourinho depart Real Madrid and he has hinted that Chelsea may be one of his next destinations. He is thought to have made up his differences with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

“I would like him [Mourinho] to come here. Mourinho is the best coach in the world. Everyone is talking about him here. He is not God, but almost. The fans and the players love him. I wait and see. First I am thinking of finishing the season, then going for a holiday. I will get any news in the press,” said Hazard. The Belgian midfielder for signed for around £ 32 million in the summer and he has proven to be one of the best acquisitions for the club.