One of the big stories of Chelsea’s victory over Aston Villa was Eden Hazard’s omission from the starting line-up.
Jose Mourinho’s decision to leave out the Belgian angered many a fantasy league manager, and the Chelsea boss has explained why he made the controversial call.
Mourinho: "I left out Hazard because are conceding lots of goals."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 17, 2015
Mourinho: "Needed midfield players to be concerned with being solid."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 17, 2015
Mourinho: "I continue that way [leaving Hazard out] or he comes in our direction, and tries to play that way."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 17, 2015
The Blues kept only their second league clean sheet of the season against Tim Sherwood’s side, winning 2-0 thanks to Diego Costa’s first-half strike and an Alan Hutton own goal.
It lifts Mourinho’s side to 12th in the Premier League table, still 10 points behind leaders Man City, but the more conservative approach may continue for a team that has conceded 17 goals in nine games.
This isn’t the first time the Chelsea boss has left out a player he considers too attacking, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Andre Schurrle leaving the club after a lack of opportunities which many have put down to this approach.
It’s no secret that Mourinho likes his wingers to contribute defensively, so Hazard may have to make adjustments in order to regain his starting place.
Mourinho: "This is a moment for the team. I asked them to look at the picture in a different way. I have to try bring results back."
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) October 17, 2015
