Pep Guardiola says that a move for in-form Chelsea attacker Eden Hazard is “not going to happen” despite acknowledging the Belgian’s class.
Manchester City are sitting comfortably on top of the Premier League table, unbeaten in all 15 opening games, with a staggering tally of 45 goals as they head to London to take on Hazard and Chelsea.
Why was Guardiola forced to rule out Hazard move? Five key things to know…
- Hazard signed for Chelsea in 2012 from French side Lille and is the club’s third highest scorer of the Premier League era (behind Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba).
- But Hazard’s deal expires in the summer of 2020 and he has yet to renew his contract opening up rumours of potential moves away.
- Admiring his upcoming opponents Hazard recently compared the clubs saying, “They also create more chances, and score more goals. But it’s true they don’t have an Eden Hazard. That is the difference!”
- Chelsea face City today for the first time since the two sides met in the Community Shield with Pep’s men walking away 2-0 victors.
- Hazard has been in impressive form with 7 goals, the 4th highest in the league and 6 assists, only 1 off the top spot.
It looks like Pep Guardiola will head into the crucial tie with fourth place Chelsea without the services of top-scorer Sergio Agüero.
Despite the Argentine’s absence, Pep’s men can make the trip to London full of confidence having yet to lose this season.
Speaking to Belgian broadcaster Play Sports in the build-up Hazard admired his opposition’s movement, “That creates spaces, they get their crosses in, and I think they have more answers that way.”
This came before adding that the missing ingredient was none other than himself. Guardiola was quick to concur, “I am agreeing with him. He said I’m so good and I am agreeing with him.”
“Switch on the TV and look at him. You realise his qualities. He is one of the best players in the world.”
Acknowledging a player’s qualities and trying to sign them up is very different though. The Blues seemed like early title challengers but defeats against Spurs and Wolves offset their early challenge.
Despite injuries forcing some changes in Pep’s side, their strength-in-depth should provide a difficult challenge for Chelsea to overcome and a loss will mount the pressure onto Sarri’s men.
It’s not just Agüero that brings the fire-power for City, but Raheem Sterling could prove a key threat alongside the explosive Leroy Sané.
Eden Hazard has created more chances (42) than any other player in the Premier League this season.
And the most from open play (33).
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New boss Maurizio Sarri has come under some criticism lately for his unwillingness to adapt his ‘Sarri-ball’ philosophy despite some clear on-field difficulties.
A win here for Chelsea brings them right back into contention, but a loss, extending the gap between them and the league leaders to 13 points could prove disastrous for their title aspirations.
If you want to give Sarri’s technique a try and see what it would be like to take control of Eden Hazard, check out this ‘Sarri-ball’ tutorial for FIFA 19.
The post Pep Guardiola rules out Man City move for “world-class” Eden Hazard appeared first on Squawka News.
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