As featured on NewsNow: Football news

Chelsea ace Hazard: Without stats I'd be in anyone's top 3

Chelsea ace Eden Hazard admits he's "frustrating" his manager, Maurizio Sarri.

Chelsea have a crunch Carabao Cup semi-final against Spurs on Thursday following fierce criticism from manager Maurizio Sarri over last Saturday's 2-0 loss at Arsenal.

Hazard, 28, claimed: "I've frustrated all my managers and now I'm still frustrating Sarri. I frustrated Mourinho. They think I need to score more, do more of this or that. And the next coach, I'll frustrate him too."

He also told France Football: "We associate football too much with the word win.

“With young players it's the same, they have to win, win, win. Little by little players forget to enjoy it. I've always put pleasure before winning.

“What bothers me is that players are put into the top three or four because of the trophies they've won and their statistics.

“That's not what I'm after, I just want to enjoy myself on the pitch. So top five, ten, 20, that's not my problem.

“If a bloke thinks only of stats I won't be in his list of top players. But if he thinks about enjoying the game, I'll be in the top three. What I have already achieved is very good. When I look at my career, I think 'That's great'.

“The only thing I'm missing are the stats.

“If I end up with 30 goals and 20 assists this season, people will say 'Yeah, that's exceptional' even if I play some rubbish games. But that's not what I want."

Video of the day:

About the author

Paul Vegas

×

Subscribe and go ad-free

For only $10 a year

  1. Go Ad-Free
  2. Faster site experience
  3. Support great writing
  4. Subscribe now
Launch Offer: 2 months free
×

Subscribe and go ad-free

For only $10 a year

Subscribe now
Launch Offer: 2 months free