The Blues’ leading goalscorer risks the wrath of the Special One by claiming that “Chelsea aren’t set up to play football”.
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Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has hinted that manager Jose Mourinho got his tactics wrong for the Blues’ Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
The 2012 winners were dumped out of Europe’s premier club competition on Wednesday night following a 3-1 home defeat to the La Liga leaders – a result that came eight days after a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Spain.
Chelsea’s defensive setup, which helped them nullify Atletico at the Vicente Calderon Stadium and also win 2-0 at Liverpool on Sunday, has divided opinion.
Some have hailed it as a Mourinho masterclass, while others have labelled it as boring and ‘anti-football’.
The Special One’s tactics appear to have frustrated star attacker Hazard.
According to Sky Sports, Hazard told beIN SPORTS: “Chelsea aren’t set up to play football.
“Chelsea are set up to counter-attack – a little bit like Real against Bayern.
“I don’t know what we lacked. After scoring, we had the game in our hands. Maybe they wanted it more than we did.”
Hazard has been Chelsea’s top goalscorer in the Premier League this season, netting 14 times in 33 appearances. He has also provided seven top-flight assists.
Speaking out against Mourinho’s tactics is likely to fuel talk of a summer transfer 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.
Chelsea boast one of the tightest backlines in Europe this season. The Blues have the best defensive record in the Premier League, having kept 17 clean sheets in 36 games.
Only Liverpool and Manchester City have scored more goals than Chelsea in the top flight this season, but Mourinho’s men are a long way behind their rivals in that regard, averaging 1.92 goals per game, compared to 2.67 and 2.66 respectively.
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