Los Angeles: Eden Hazard has vowed to recover from a nightmare 12 months and reclaim the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year Award, as Antonio Conte prepares to rebuild Chelsea’s damaged reputation.
Hazard is on a mission to wipe away the bitter memories of last season, when he was held up as one of the prime reasons for Chelsea’s alarming decline.
The Belgian attacker was named the PFA Player of the Year in April 2015 after playing a key role in the title triumph under Jose Mourinho, with 14 goals and nine assists marking him out as one of Europe’s leading talents.
But the following campaign proved a dismal experience as Chelsea limped to a 10th-placed finish, with Hazard’s season plagued by a persistent hip injury and claims of a fractious relationship with manager Mourinho. However, there were flashes of individual brilliance at Euro 2016, with Hazard producing an outstanding performance in Belgium’s 4-0 win over Hungary, and Chelsea have made it clear that he will not be sold this summer at any price.
Conte, the new Chelsea manager, held talks with Hazard before pre-season training and outlined his expectations from the 25-year-old, insisting he can make him one of the best players in the world alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Hazard has admitted at Chelsea’s training camp in Los Angeles that he is determined to rediscover his best form and help Conte challenge for the Premier League title.
“I want to be the best, like I was two seasons ago. I said — after the season like this — I wanted to stay at Chelsea because I didn’t want to finish like this,” he said.
“I played a very bad season. We didn’t start the season well because of injuries and everything seemed to go against Chelsea. It wasn’t easy and wasn’t a good season. We want to forget it.
“We’ve got to show to everybody we are Chelsea, we’re big players, we’re a big team and we didn’t finish in a good place last season. Now we want to do better and win the Premier League. We need to do this.
“When I was in France [with Lille], I finished my last game with a hat-trick and that was a good time to leave. And if I must leave one day, I hope I can finish good here and be a champion again.” Hazard did not score in the Premier League until January last season, failing to register a goal under Mourinho, and appeared a shadow of the player once rated as worth more than 80million pounds (Dh386 million).
It was the first time he had suffered a dip in his career and when asked the reasons behind his struggles, Hazard blamed fatigue, which seems to strengthen further the growing argument for a winter break.
“It is easy to say now that I was tired. Even when I am not at the maximum level I want to play well — and last season was difficult,” he said.
“I was injured, not a big one, but it was not easy to play with a small injury when you play in England because the game is very difficult. But this season I am ready. It’s been hard training under the new manager but it’s good, he talks a lot to the players.
“It is different [to last season], we can’t wait for the season to start. It’s hard work but hopefully at the end of the season we can win.”
Meanwhile, Hazard’s Chelsea teammate Cesc Fabregas was sent off for a reckless lunge at Liverpool new boy Ragnar Klavan, overshadowing a 1-0 friendly win at the Pasadena Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
Spanish midfielder Fabregas, 29, could have no complaints as he got his marching orders in the 70th minute for sliding late into Klavan with his studs up.
Chelsea’s head coach Conte told reporters after the final whistle the match was more competitive than he had been expecting, apologising for Fabregas’s foul.
“I think that in this period, the fatigue sometimes can bring a (player) to go too late,” he said.
“I know Fabregas is a good man, a good boy and is not a player to have this type of situation. I’m sorry for him, I’m sorry for the Liverpool player.”
Gary Cahill headed Chelsea’s winner after 10 minutes.
