Former Liverpool player John Barnes is sceptical about Chelsea’s success as he solely believes the only problem they have is their over-reliance on Eden Hazard.
The Belgian international has shown why Chelsea has refused to let him go. He his so far the pivot to Maurizio Sarri’s possessive footballing style.
Chelsea started with a win at Huddersfield which boast of few possessions, perhaps because of Hazard’s absence in the starting Line-up.
On his return to the starting line-up against Newcastle at St James’s Park, he performed beautifully and as well scored the opening goal.
The adroit player also followed up with an excellent performance against AFC Bournemouth before the international break.
In his arrival, he made his mark yet again after stealing the show to score his first hat-trick of the season in a convincing 4:1 win against Cardiff City at the weekend-a result that placed the Blues in the first position ahead of Liverpool on goal difference.
Barnes was certain in the interview held with beIN SPORT that Chelsea will really struggle if the worst happens to Hazard.
“I think they are overly reliant on Hazard, I think if Hazard gets injured, they really are overly reliant on him. If he drops form and he doesn’t score, he’s not an out and out scorer.”
Opinion: From Chelsea’s point of view, It is clear that Chelsea started struggling with No.9 position since Diego Costa left for Spain.
Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud have been struggling one way or the other but only Giroud his working harder to help the team create more chances albeit, Morata has scored just one goal.
It was reported that Chelsea are still hunting for a top striker which boils down to the fact that they are not yet satisfied with the two players up front.
With Giroud‘s age, he can’t play for too long but Morata has not been happy with his form and could begin to look elsewhere next summer. If they continue to rely on Hazard’s performance, it could deter their chances of winning the title.
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