Chelsea have moved to the top of the Premier League following their emphatic 5-0 win in which Hazard had a hand in all of his side’s goals.
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Chelsea scored two quick goals in the 19 and 20 minute, with goals from Hazard and Marcos Alonso, followed by a Diego Costa goal right before half-time.
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“Tonight we can see we are top”.
The defeat against the Gunners inevitably made Conte think what was going wrong with the side and the first thing he did was to change his system.
Unlike Pedro, Fabregas still finds himself in the dark for club and country but he still has time to impress Conte to revitalise a career which has stuttered since the Italian came to west London.
The 25-year-old forward now has seven goals this season – but Conte focused on his all-round contribution after a win that takes his side top. We must stay calm.
Following their stunning 3-1 Champions League win over Barcelona, Man City were out to maintain their positive momentum in the premier league when they hosted Middlesborough on Saturday.
‘I don’t know why last season was so bad, but I don’t try to find excuses.
Winners in five straight, Chelsea (8-1-2) own a one-point league lead over Manchester City.
Conte, and the Chelsea staff, are said to be concerned about the current squad’s capability to deal with playing in multiple competitions. “He’s a very good player”. “The system can be similar but, for sure, the ideas are different defensively and offensively”. I did not expect that difference on the pitch but it happened. Having been bogged down with his defensive responsibilities under Mourinho, particularly during the latter stages of his second spell in charge, Hazard now has a role he feels allows him to cause maximum havoc.
When John Terry was injured at the start of the season, all of the pundits discussed how, without Terry, Chelsea wouldn’t even be competing for a European spot – but since Conte has changed to a back three, they haven’t needed the ex-England worldwide.
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Chelsea: Courtois (6.5); Azpilicueta (7.5), Luiz (8.0), Cahill (7.5); Moses (8.5), Kante (8.0), Matic (8.0), Alonso (9.0); Pedro (9.0), Costa (9.0), Hazard (10.0).
