Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 5y

Hazard 'doesn't care' about Sarri criticism after starring role in Chelsea win over Spurs

LONDON -- Eden Hazard has brushed off Maurizio Sarri's claim he is more an individual than a leader and said he doesn't care about the Chelsea coach's comments.

Sarri criticised Hazard after Chelsea's limp 2-0 defeat to Arsenal last week and made a remarkable claim that some players are "extremely difficult to motivate."

"I'm not focused on what the manager says," Hazard said after Chelsea beat Tottenham to reach the Carabao Cup final. "I don't care about that to be fair. If the manager has to say something he will say it. We are big men so we can talk together, no problem at all."

Hazard scored his 13th of the season and Chelsea won 2-1 to take the semifinal against Spurs to penalties, where they prevailed 4-2. And the Belgium captain said he and his teammates did not need a public dressing down from their head coach to play better.

"In the dressing room, most of the players have won almost everything," Hazard said. "We are big players and we know when we are not playing well and when we are playing good. In the end, we just need to look in the same way and try to win games. That's it.

"I don't have a problem with it at all. The manager thinks what they want to think. For me, the best response is to be on the pitch and to win games. I did it.

"I understand when the team is not playing well, the manager has to criticise the players. I don't like to say I'm the best player, but it's always this kind of player who can put the team winning the game [who is criticised]. I just try to do my best.

"Everything was different [against Spurs]. Also different players, but when you have a bad game you always want to win the next game. In front of the fans we should have done it and we did it, so we're just happy. But now we need to look in the future and [try] to play like today."

Sources confirmed to ESPN FC prior to Chelsea's win over Tottenham that Sarri held talks with his squad after criticising them in public. But Hazard once again cast doubt over his Chelsea future two days before setting up a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City by refusing to rule out a move to Real Madrid. 

"I have always said that, after England, I wanted to discover something else," Hazard said.

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