Chelsea’s Belgians superstar Eden Hazard has revealed his preferred position on the pitch, claiming that it allows for more attacking freedom.
Hazard recently stated that he would like to play in the number 10 position at Chelsea, but admitted that manager Antonio Conte is unlikely to tweak his formation just to accommodate the 25-year-old as a central attacking midfielder.
“I like to play as a No 10. I think I have more freedom offensively,” the Belgian is quoted as saying by the Mail Online. “For Belgium, we have full backs who run hard and create a lot of space, which is good and I like to play there.
“I don’t know if I will play there at Chelsea. You need to ask the manager! I play on the left hand side and I try to do the best I can. I don’t think Chelsea wants to change just for me (to play) as a 10. I did well in the past as a left winger and for now, I am trying to get back to that best again.”
After a gloomy 2015/16 campaign, the Eden Hazard of old showed up at the European Championships in the summer. Playing down Belgium’s left flank, the Chelsea attacker wreaked havoc against opposition defences and was pivotal in guiding the Red Devils to the quarter-final.
However, due to a disappointing overall performance, the Belgian FA decided to relieve Marc Wilmots of his job as head coach, and appointed former Everton and Wigan manager Roberto Martinez as his replacement.
The Spanish coach has used Hazard in a central position and has managed to bring the best out of the 25-year-old. He seems to have a greater impact on proceedings and is vital to the Red Devils’ attack. During the international break, the Belgian scored in both of his nation’s games and will now be hoping to have a similar impact for his club.
Despite spending three months at Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte is still to narrow down his best eleven at Chelsea. In Hazard’s preferred number 10 position, the likes of Oscar, Cesc Fabregas and Willian have been deployed.
Unfortunately for the manager, the trio has failed to impress, giving him a huge selection dilemma ahead of the weekend’s opening league game against defending champions Leicester City. Hazard was sensational in Chelsea’s title winning campaign of 2014 and Conte will be hoping to see him regain the same form once again for the Blues.
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