Eden Hazard substitution was a tactical decision, insists Chelsea’s Antonio Conte
Pedro replaced Hazard after 73 minutes with the score 1-1, only for Jesse Lingard to score what turned out to be the winning goal just a couple of minutes later
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insisted that the decision to substitute Eden Hazard in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United was a tactical one, and that Hazard’s inability to perform his defensive duties was the reason he was brought off.
Pedro replaced Hazard after 73 minutes with the score 1-1, only for Jesse Lingard to score what turned out to be the winning goal just a couple of minutes later. Chelsea looked flat and short of ideas in the final 15 minutes as they chased an equaliser, but Conte said that Hazard’s lack of energy was beginning to unbalance the team.
“It was a tactical decision,” he said. “We have to keep the same performance for 90 minutes. Otherwise we don’t have a great balance. Every single player has to work with the ball, without the ball, otherwise we lose our balance and the game.”
Pressed on whether he was specifically referring to Hazard, Conte replied: “I think he finished his energy. Because in the first half he ran a lot, and the second half, he started in the same way. But when I see a player is a bit tired, my task is to find a different solution.”
Hazard’s fatigue has the potential to become a major problem for Chelsea as they continue to fight on three fronts, with a relatively thin squad compared to their Champions League rivals. Since the last international break in November, the Belgian has played 23 games in 14 weeks, often single-handedly keeping their season afloat.
Conte has tried to manage his workload, leaving him out of the recent FA Cup fifth-round win over Hull, for instance. But with trips to Manchester City and Barcelona coming up, the danger is that Chelsea are approaching the crucial part of their season with their best player running on fumes.
Defeat to United drops Chelsea out of the top four for the first time since October, and Conte repeated his warning that the club were in grave danger of missing out on Champions League qualification for next season - by which time Conte is widely expected to have moved on.
“This could be a possibility, for sure,” he said. “I’m repeating the same concept many, many times. In this league, to find a place in the Champions League is not simple, not easy, because this country is the only championship that you find six teams that start [the season] fighting to win the title.
“These days it is very hard for every team, and there is the risk to stay out of the Champions League. I think that we must be ready to fight, must be ready to understand this, to be concentrated and to understand that this target is an important target for us.”
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